


Hellboy; Redemption

by tango793



Category: Hellboy (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Original Player Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2018-09-08 16:58:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 56,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8852995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tango793/pseuds/tango793
Summary: Rasputin has returned  determined to complete his plan to release the Ogdru Jahad and bring about his 'new order'. Having learned that the Golden Army has been found, he thinks using it would be the perfect addition to his plan and resurrects Nuada (and of course Nuala), trying to either get the prince to join him or wrest control of the army from him. Nuada realizes pretty quickly that Rasputins intentions are not what they seem and refuses. After a fight, he and Nuala escape into the countryside where they end up in the country house where Hellboy, Liz, Abe and Johann have settled down to their post BPRD life. Hellboy is away earning some money fighting vampires for the Romanian government leaving Liz & the others on their own for the time being, before coming home to deal with the new crisisThe story follows what happens when the elves arrive, integrate into the household, work to defeat Rasputin and his minions and save the world (again).We begin with what happens to the prince in the land of the dead.......





	1. Part 1; The Land of the Dead

With his last breath Prince Nuada Silverlance passed into the land of shadows, still the proud warrior he'd always been and unafraid of what lay ahead.  
Once there, he opened his eyes and looked around. He was on his knees in the middle of a desolate road. He looked around again, trying to get his bearings, figure out where he was and what he should do.  
Everything around him was desolate and bare. Trees devoid of leaves lined both sides of the road. Bushes, black withered leaves clinging to them were there too. Rocks, boulders, stumps of broken trees and a mournful wind blowing through it all. Clouds crossed the sky and dimmed whatever light there was. He saw a glowing object in the sky. Whether it was sun or moon he couldn't tell.  
Looking around more he could neither see nor sense anything besides himself. Man, beast elf or ogre; there was nothing there. Even his dear and equally departed sister was nowhere to be found. He wondered at that. The land of the dead had many levels. No doubt she was on another level than his.  
Rising to his feet he looked down the road. He supposed he should follow it. There was nothing of interest for him where he was standing and the way behind looked even darker than where he was.  
So he began to walk.  
As he did he heard whispers in the shadows on either side of the road. Some spoke his name. Some in surprise, some in ridicule, some fondly some hatefully. He heard them but paid them no mind. Walking on he held his head high. Even dead he was still a prince...royalty. Whatever he was feeling inside he kept to himself.  
For hours untold and uncounted he walked on. Time had no meaning here. The road was long and winding, going up hill and down. The landscape around him still desolate. The wind still blowing mournfully through dead tree limbs and rustling dead leaves on bushes.  
As he walked on he began to see more signs of death. Bones, skulls, parts of skulls. Some with battle marks, some with weapons still stuck in them. There were swords and pole weapons stuck in the ground all around. Part of him wanted a weapon. Part of him said he needed to leave things be.Until he figured out this place he wasn't going to do anything that might upset the balance of things or bind him here. He'd already decided he wasn't going to stay. He'd find a way out somehow...but he couldn't do that if he broke rules he didn't know existed. No, best play it cautiously for now.  
To be sure he'd seen death before. He'd peered into the land of the dead from time to time as well. This place was neither familiar or unfamiliar. He was sure to meet creatures he'd seen before somewhere in his life. How far he'd have to go to find them was another matter.  
After walking for what he took to be hours, he grew weary and decided to stop and rest for a while. He sat down on a rock by the side of the road and took stock of what had happened.  
He still couldn't understand why his sister had betrayed him. In spite of their differences he still loved her and had trusted her; more than anyone or anything else in his life. Why had she done that? Did she really want their people to die out? Was she trying to save her demon friend? Or was it something else? He wished he could ask her.  
And what of the demon? His sneak attack was effective but not honorable. He'd been adhering to the unwritten rules of such fights. Apparently the demon knew of no such rules. Much like the humans he'd been defending. That was something he wanted to address too. He thought on what would happen to his people now. The entire royal family was dead. Would the council choose another leader or would they devolve into factions squabbling amongst themselves until the end came? What a pathetic fate for his people.  
Growing sleepy he decided to take a nap. He moved a few feet away to the base of one of the black trees and lay down. He was asleep in minutes.  
Time passed although there was no way to measure it. Eventually he was awakened by a crow in the tree overhead. It squawked hoarsely until he opened his eyes. Looking up he saw the bird and sensed a familiarity with it. "Do I know you?" he asked. He was still trying to get the measure of this place. Anything here could be friend, foe or something in between. Nothing was as it seemed and he could take nothing for granted.  
The crow looked at him, squawked, and flew off again.  
Sitting up he watched it fly away, thinking that hadn't been at all helpful, he sighed. Deciding there was nothing to do but continue his journey he stood up, brushed the black dirt from his clothes and set off again.  
He was still hearing voices in the shadows. Some speaking his name some saying other things. He still paid them no mind. Reaching the top of a hill, there was a bend in the road and in the distance he saw a building. There were lights burning inside. It was the first hopeful sign he'd seen so far. Having no other options he headed for it.  
As he walked he began to feel eyes on him...watching. The skulls on the side of the road now had pinpoint yellow eyes that followed him as he passed. Again, part of him wished he had a weapon and part of him resisted the urge. Still best to play things carefully.  
Eventually the skulls started showing more animation. Heads rising from the ground and looking at him as he passed. Absently Nuada wondered how long it would be before they attacked him. If they did, what should he do? He tried to recall everything he'd learned about the netherworld. It wasn't easy to remember anything.  
The voices coming from the shadows grew louder, more mocking and contemptuous. His heart misgave him but he wasn't about to let it show. Something was going to happen......soon, he'd best be ready for it.  
He walked on, keeping a surreptitious eye on the shadows and the sides of the road.  
As he reached the top of another hill a skeletal creature began to rise from the ground, pulling itself from the black dirt with bony forefeet.  
" Prince Nuada.....' it moaned. Nuada looked at it as it rose. Then he heard another noise behind him. He spun and took a step back to look. Another skeletal creature was rising from the ground. This wasn't good.  
Suddenly the ground was alive with creatures emerging from the black dirt on the sides of the road, all eyes looking at him. Looking behind again he saw dozens of pairs of eyes on him. He was surrounded.  
Slowly the creatures started closing in on him, speaking his name in hoarse mournful voices. Some of these things had weapons, others not. Some were wielding tree branches or rocks. Was it possible to kill someone already dead? Nuada didn't want to find out.  
He was running out of time to decide what to do. As he considered his options something very important came to his mind. "No matter what happens do not hurt anything you meet.' He couldn't remember where he'd heard that piece of advice before but he knew he had to heed it now. If he didn't he'd end up spending eternity in this place and he definitely did NOT want to do that. But it limited his options considerably.  
The things drew closer. Soon he'd have no room to maneuver. That was probably what they wanted.  
Making a decision he took a couple of steps backward hoping this would work. He ran at the wall of things in front of him. With a big step he leaped. He landed on the shoulder of one creature, took a step or two on the heads and shoulders of others then launched himself into the air again, somersaulting, adding a half twist and landed behind them. Rising to his feet he watched to see what their reaction would be.  
The things turned, somewhat slowly and awkwardly and eyed him. "I have no quarrel with you." he told them, not sure if they understood. There was no telling what level of consciousness or understanding they had.  
It took a few moments but the things started moving toward him again.  
He took another couple of steps back then noticed, to his dismay that more things were rising out of the ground at the roadsides behind him, trying to block his path forward.  
Nothing for it, he decided. Undignified as it may be he had to run. There was no choice. If he was to reach the lighted building he'd have to move fast.  
\ Turning he began to run.  
The things followed him their mocking calls and laughter echoing in his ears.  
Fortunately for Nuada the things didn't move fast and he was able to put some distance between himself and them. More kept appearing from the ground but he was able to get past them before they fully emerged and became a threat.  
He ran on for a while trying to put the things farther behind him.  
Rounding a bend in the road he skidded to a halt as the road vanished before his feet. Looking he saw a a deep dark nothing where the road had been. Looking ahead he saw where the road picked up again but it was too far for even him to cross. He was trapped again. Looking around he took stock of his surroundings. To his right was a sheer rock wall rising perhaps a hundred feet up. To his left was an equally sheer drop also with no visible bottom in sight. Behind him he could hear the creatures closing in again.  
Looking up he took a couple of steps back and paused. Gathering himself he ran at the rock wall and leaped as high as he could. Hitting the wall he reached for something, anything, to grab onto. His fingers found a sliver of rock and latched onto it. Pulling himself up he searched for another handhold. After a few moment he found one and secured his hold. He moved his feet to try and find a foothold. He found one. Then another.  
Looking over his shoulder he saw the things not far below waving bony arms at him and calling to him. Again he'd escaped them. A brief smile crossed his face then he began the task of climbing to the top of the rock wall.  
Eventually he reached the top and with an effort of sheer willpower pulled himself over the edge. He lay there for a while exhausted by his trials so far. This was definitely not what he'd expected of the afterlife. He hoped he wasn't going to be spending eternity like this. No....he wouldn't. He was determined to find a way out of this.....somehow.  
Catching his breath and feeling able to move again he slowly got to his feet and surveyed his surroundings again.  
It appeared he was now on a rocky plateau. Rocks and dead bushes were scattered about but no other life was to be seen. There was a mountain beyond. It looked like it was capped with snow. Was there snow in the afterlife? He wasn't sure. Apparently there was. He thought again about the building he'd seen and the light. He went to the edge of the plateau and looked down. It was there, far below now and farther away than before. It was a discouraging sight. He'd looked forward to reaching it and perhaps finding shelter and someone or something he could talk to. That seemed even more remote now.  
No matter, he thought, he had to go on. He supposed he should try to find a way down from his lofty perch and get back on track. Perhaps he could find another way to the road. One without skeletal creatures trying to get him. He noticed there were no skulls or skeletons up here.That was a good sign. Still there was no telling what else might be lying in wait here. Nonetheless he began walking. He was perhaps half way across the plateau when he found out his next challenge.  
Gradually the ground began to tremble under his feet and a deep rumbling sound echoed through the area.  
He paused looking around for this new threat.  
He didn't have long to wait. Within moments the thing appeared. From a massive crack in the earth at the edge of the plateau came a giant skeletal head, followed by a long neck and huge clawed forepaws. It was a dragon. A giant skeletal dragon rising from the chasm. Nuada took a step or two back to take in the sight of the thing. It must have been magnificent in life, it was equally impressive in death. It had a massive wingspan, although there was no membrane between the ribs of the wings. It climbed to the top and looked around roaring.  
The prince hadn't seen anything like this in over a thousand years. It was awesome.  
The thing looked around some more and paused, fixing its eyeless sockets on him.  
That wasn't good, Nuada thought, but he waited to see what it would or could do before making a move. Since the eye sockets were empty maybe it couldn't see. He could only hope.  
It flapped its skeletal wings and growled a bit, as if deciding what it wanted to do.  
"Prince Nuada." It said at last.  
Nuada didn't question how it knew his name. Everything here seemed to know him. But its voice seemed familiar. Trying to reach far back in his memory he struggled to come up with where he'd heard it before.  
"Do I know you?" he asked.  
The thing grumbled and flapped its skeletal wings. " I certainly know YOU." it said.  
Realizing he was in the presence of a powerful creature and he needed to be respectful he said "Forgive me, but I cannot recall where we've met.".  
"The battle of Three Rivers." the thing replied. " My kin and I helped you drive an army back to the sea."  
That reference brought it all back to the prince. He knew who this was. Respectfully he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "My Lord Grinlaff..." he said "I am honored."  
The dragon looked at him and grunted again "As well you should." it said.  
Feeling a little more secure now that he'd met something familiar who might be helpful Nuada asked "My lord, may I ask- what is this place?"  
"It is the Realm of the Fallen." the dragon replied. "Those who have met their death fighting end up here until their fate is decided. It is a place between places; neither good nor bad. A place of waiting."  
That made sense to Nuada. It also explained why everything here knew his name. And probably why they were chasing him. "And that building below?"  
"The house of the Lord and Lady of this place. But you will not be able to reach it. " it said, divining the princes intentions. " You must be summoned and they will only call for you when it pleases them. It is they who will decide your fate."  
" I must get there." Nuada said. He realized that was where he had to go if he wanted to get back to where he wanted to be. " You must wait until they call you." the dragon said.  
"I cannot." Nuada said. " If I am to save what's left of our people I cannot stay here. I cannot wait."  
The dragon grumbled again and seemed to sigh. " Prince Nuada. You have always been driven to do things.......whether you were counseled to do them or not. Even in death you are driven. Why can you not rest?"  
" I have rested." Nuada said. "For hundreds of years I have 'rested'. There is no time left for it."  
" You are still stubborn....headstrong." the dragon said "As you ever were. Death has not changed that. Why do you wish to go back?"  
" My people need help." Nuada replied. " Without it they will not survive. We need to take back what was ours and teach the humans a lesson about their carelessness and greed."  
The dragon shook its head " You cannot teach them anything. They have to learn form their own mistakes and sometimes not even then. Look at their wars....always the same thing over the same thing. They have no capacity to learn from others."  
"Exactly." Nuada said "That's why it needs to end."  
"And you think you can do that?" the dragon asked. "Then you're as much a fool as they are. There are too many of them and their weapons to terrible. They will destroy the earth and themselves before they give in to you."  
" But with the Golden Army...."  
"Even then..." the dragon said. "The Army only numbers five thousand. Humans number in the billions, as do their weapons."  
" But the army is indestructible." Nuada protested.  
"But the humans have weapons that will melt the army into forms it can never recover from. You know this. Why risk it?"  
" The world was ours before mankind took it over. We have a right to live and to a place in it."  
The dragon looked at Nuada with its empty eyes. "You are as stubborn as men are. You are not listening. No wonder you are here. Your stubbornness drove you to your fate. You really think you can do this? My people tried to oppose them and look what happened....they hunted us down....to the last hatchling....the last egg. My people are dead to the world.. Many others have fallen for the same reason. We tried to oppose them, fight for what was ours. What makes you think YOU can succeed where so many others have failed?'  
" I am Prince Nuada.....'  
Before he could finish the dragons bony paw swatted him aside like an insect. The prince flew across the plateau landing against a bush and a rock. Looking up he shrank back as the giant skull appeared inches from his face.  
"STUBBORN PROUD ARROGANT FOOL!" it bellowed "It is YOU who must learn your place not THEM! The world has changed yet you have not! You do NOT rule the world as you once did! Impudent thing that you are! The world that WAS yours is gone yet you will not let it go! Take back what is yours? You have NOTHING! You ARE nothing! You are DEAD and so you should remain!"  
The dragon turned its head and moved away from the prince.  
After it did Nuada sat up. He watched it for a moment or two then looked down, momentarily crushed by the truth in what it said. He knew the thing was right. Once he had been a powerful figure....the son of a great king. Now he was nothing....not even alive. It was a hard thing to accept.....and painful. Part of him was hurt enough to want to cry but the last remaining shred of pride and discipline he held onto wouldn't allow it. He refused to show his humiliation.  
As he sat there, emotions in turmoil a tiny fluttering sound reached his ear. He looked and saw a tiny black skeletal fairy hovering by his head. It chattered something that brought a weak smile to his face. The thing hovered for a few moments then flew away toward the dragon. It flew around the giant creatures skull chattering at it.  
The dragon thrashed its bony tail a couple of times, grumbled some more and looked at the demoralized prince. Nuada was looking down again and not looking at all princely.  
The fairy kept chattering almost as if angry with the dragon and not at all afraid of a creature a thousand times its size.  
The dragon grumbled yet again and sighed " Very well." it said to the fairy, which then flew back to the prince.  
Taking a couple of steps toward the elf the dragon said "If you are so set on returning to their world I will take you to the house of the Lord and Lady. But bear in mind, whether or not to help you is for them to decide and their decision is final."  
Nuada looked up, hope returning to his heart. Slowly he stood up and bowed his head to the creature. "I am in your debt." he said.  
" Indeed." it said " I have but one thing to ask of you."  
"Anything." Nuada replied.  
"Hmmmph" the dragon said. "You do not know what I am to ask of you. It could be more than you are willing or able to do."  
" Then I will do my best." Nuada amended.  
" Long ages ago I met my end in the mountains. Men came and burned my body, My bones were covered in snow and ice. If you return to the world, find my bones and put them to proper rest. It is only then shall I be free of this place and be at peace. Will you do this for me?"  
It seemed easy enough. " Tell me where your bones are and I will make sure it is done." he said.  
" You will not do it yourself?"  
" I will sing the songs over your bones myself, I promise." Nuada said.  
That seemed to satisfy the dragon. "Very well. But remember, if you fail, the next time you come here it will be a thousand times worse for you."  
" I will not fail in this." Nuada said.  
Satisfied the dragon said "Climb on my back and hold on. I will take you to the house."  
The prince wasn't sure how this would work seeing as the thing had no wings yet he did as he'd been told, trusting the dragon to know what it was doing. He climbed the bony front leg to the shoulder and the skeletal spine. He found a spot on one of the huge vertebrae to sit and settled into place.  
" Are you ready?"  
"I am."  
The dragon gathered itself and sprang into the air, extending its skeletal wings. Much to Nuada's amazement they stayed aloft and they were actually flying. He didn't know how but he didn't question either.

It had been a very long time since Nuada had ridden a dragon. He'd forgotten how much fun it could be. A smile returned to his face as they soared off the plateau and drifted downward into the valley toward the house far below.

They soared over the black landscape, Nuada taking a good look at things as they did. From what he could see the things that had been chasing him had returned to their places in the ground. No doubt to await their next potential victim. Aside from that the landscape was vast and very earth-like except everything was black and shades of grey. The light in the sky....sun or moon he still couldn't tell....was white and round but it illuminated little.  
The dragon soared upward, higher into the dark sky. As he did he looked over his shoulder at his tiny passenger. "Enjoying yourself your highness?" it asked bemusedly.  
"Yes." the prince said with a slight grin. "It's been a long time since I had the pleasure of flying. I'd forgotten what its like."  
The dragon seemed to chuckle. " You always were an adventurous sort." it said. "I remember that from the old days. The things you used to do....."  
Nuada smiled to himself, remembering. He could hardly say his life had been uneventful. So many adventures he couldn't remember them all now. And here, in the land of the dead, was yet one more.  
The dragon glided effortlessly down and around the landscape. It seemed to be taking its time, showing its passenger around.  
While he really wanted to get on with his journey Nuada didn't really mind the trip. It was fun seeing everything from the air, and a good deal safer too no doubt. 

Far below inside a large room, two people were looking into a glass watching the dragon and its rider.  
"He's coming." the woman said. "I knew it wouldn't take long." Looking to her companion she added "What do you want to do?"  
Beside her was a man, also looking into the glass thoughtfully. " We should not see him." he said "He should be banished."  
" But he has served the gods faithfully for so long. Long after others had forgotten us, he remembered and honored us as is our due" the woman objected. "Surely we can listen to what he has to say. "  
" He killed his father." the man pointed out. " That is a grave offense. We cannot dismiss that lightly."  
" True but his father had ordered his death. He can claim self defense. You know that even if he fled or surrendered Balor would not give him reprieve. What warrior would stand by idly and let him self be beheaded? None that I know of."  
The man didn't seem convinced.  
The woman studied him closely. "Perhaps we can test him. Find out what is truly in his heart before we decide."  
The man looked at her."You like him I think." he said.  
" I admire him." she said "His courage, his self discipline, his determination to be an agent of change instead of a whisper in the wind. These are not things to like?"  
The man seemed to think this over. " His heart has turned black with hate." he said. "His thirst for revenge all consuming. That is not admirable."  
" His willingness to stand up for his people is. "she pointed out. " You've supported others with qualities blacker than his. Why turn your back on him?"  
The man turned away from her without answering.  
"Let us find out what is in his heart first then decide what should be done with him."  
The man remained silent for some time, thinking things over. Eventually he turned back to her and said "Very well. We will test him and find out his worth. Then we will decide what to do with him."  
The woman smiled and nodded agreeably.

The dragon glided in a leisurely circle around the tiny building below before making an equally leisurely decent.  
Again Nuada was surprised at how much control the creature had considering its skeletal state.  
It landed lightly in an open space near the building. Now that he was near it the prince noted it looked like a small, plain house, not the dwelling of lords or divinities. Except that most cottages weren't surrounded with giant bones and skulls, as this one was. It was more than a little intimidating even to Nuada.  
"Here you are your highness." the dragon said, a slightly flippant tone in its voice.  
Nuada swung a leg over the vertebrae he was sitting on and slid to the ground. He again looked at the house somewhat dubiously. Looking up at his companion he said "Again, I thank you for your help my lord. I will not forget this.."  
"I would hope not." the dragon said. " Normally I don't lift a finger to help anyone here. I rarely did it in life. But I confess I always was rather fond of you. And you did help me and my people from time to time. I have not forgotten that."  
" I did my best." Nuada said, bowing his head respectfully. He looked from the dragon to the building, wondering what was awaiting him inside and if there were any traps he had to be aware of.  
As if divining what was on the princes mind the dragon spoke again. "The lord and lady are inside. But be careful- things inside are not always what they seem. The house is but a gateway to their realm. Do not harm anything, do not show your temper if you want to succeed. "  
"Thank you." Nuada said. "Is there anything else I need to know?"  
The dragon paused before answering. "This may be difficult for you, but show some humility. You have always been proud, sometimes arrogant. You can be neither here. They are gods you are not. They can crush you with a word. Remember that. If you are to get what you want you must ask. You are in no position to demand anything."  
The prince nodded. The warning wasn't really necessary but he wasn't offended either. Not this time. "Anything else?" he asked.  
" Have a care about food and drink. " the dragon said " It will be offered to you but do not eat or drink anything that is red. Those things will bind you here for a hundred years for each piece you eat. Chose only what is white or clear....to be safe."  
Again the prince nodded. and looked at the house again.  
Again guessing his mind the dragon said "Go to the door and knock three times then wait. Do not knock again. They may keep you waiting. In fact they probably will because you were not called here by them. Wait as long as you must. They will let you in when it pleases them. Your entire existence is in the palms of their hands to do with as they please. Make a mistake and they will obliterate you. Do not forget that and do not take it for granted. Pay close attention to what I've said and you may get what you want. "  
"Again, thank you my lord. " Nuada said "And I promise I will see to it your bones are put to proper rest."  
"You will do it yourself?" the dragon asked again.  
Nuada wondered why it was so important to Grinlaff that he do it himself but replied "If I live I will. If not I will have my kin do it in my name. I will not rest until you are at peace."  
That seemed to mollify the creature who made a pleased grumbling sound. " I see the truth in your heart." it said "I am satisfied with that. I will take my leave of your highness. I wish you luck in your quest and will await the results."  
" You will be at peace as soon as I can arrange it Lord Grinlaff." Nuada said again bowing his head and placing a hand over his heart.  
The dragon nodded "Farewell Prince Nuada Silverlance. May fortune smile upon you in all things." With that the dragon turned walked a few paces and leaped into the air again, flying away to its den on skeletal wings.  
Nuada watched as the dragon disappeared into then dark clouds. A brief smile crossed his face. Then he turned and walked to the house. Stepping up to the door he raised a hand to knock. For a moment he paused then knocked three times, as the dragon had told him. Then he stepped back to wait.

And he waited. And waited. And waited some more. The door did not open and no sound could be heard from the other side.  
For a long time he stood there with no response. Part of him was anxious to get on with things but the words of the dragon sounded in his ears again and again;' Be patient. Do not knock again. Wait as long as you must.'. Hard as it might be he needed to show that he wasn't going to give up and was going to play by the rules.....even if he didn't quite know what they were.  
Growing weary of standing outside the door he sat down, back to the door, and settled himself to wait as long as necessary.

Inside the lord and lady watched him.  
" How long are you going to make him wait?" the lady asked.  
" I haven't decided." the lord replied.  
" Are you making this part of his test?"  
He didn't answer.  
" You are." she observed. " But try not to make him wait too long."  
" Why not? It's a test. Tests aren't meant to be easy." the lord said.  
"Nor should they be too hard." she counseled "Lest they discourage the one being tested."  
" Then he would fail the test wouldn't he?" the lord said.  
' That's what you want, isn't it?" she responded. " Humiliate him, break him, then cast him away like a useless thing... is that your plan?"  
" And what is your plan? Grant all he wants? Is that fair? Does he truly deserve that after all he's done?"  
" Perhaps not but he doesn't deserve to be broken either."  
" It was you who suggested we test him now you complain of the test. You still want to make this easy for him."  
" I know what it is you want. I want you to be fair in this. Make it possible for him to succeed, not doom him to failure."  
" Very well.....but do not help him. It is for him to succeed or fail. "  
"As you wish." she said "But I will be watching."  
The lord grumbled something and turned back to the glass to watch some more.  
Outside on the doorstep Nuada sat waiting, legs crossed.  
The lord waved a hand over the image and the sky grew darker. Gradually rain began to fall. 

Outside Nuada felt the rain begin to fall on him and he looked up. Indeed the sky was darker and the white disk in the sky was gone. What else could happen? He wondered. There was a crack of lightening followed by thunder. And it began to rain harder. 'Of course.' he thought to himself. But he wasn't about to budge from his spot. He shifted his position a bit to try and get under the scant protection of the eaves, with limited success. Nonetheless, he wasn't moving. Not until he got his audience with the rulers of this place.

Time passed. The rain continued for some time. Then the wind came up and it became cold. The prince was miserable but still didn't move. Growing tired he dozed off in his spot. The wind grew colder and eventually brought ice then snow, which were whipped by strong gusts of wind.  
In his dreams he saw many things. Images of gods laughing at him, mocking him. The dragon whose words repeated in his ears like a broken record. Monsters and horrors of all kinds invaded his dreams. Things from his past, things he feared, things he'd seen, things he'd been through and miraculously survived. There were images of fire, destruction, everything laid waste. Giant monsters wandering throughout the land, wreaking havoc. Scenes frightening enough to stir him from slumber. With a start he awoke and sat up, giving his head a shake to clear the disturbing images from his mind. Looking around he was somewhat surprised to be covered in snow. Several inches of it. Looking behind him he could see the door was still there and still closed. Resignedly he brushed the snow off himself and his place in front of the door. Having been soaked by the rain and now surrounded by snow he began to feel cold. Normally elves weren't bothered by extremes in temperature like humans were but the combination along with the now rising wind, were having an effect on him. His fingers grew cold and were becoming stiff. He cupped them and blew on them trying to create some warmth with limited success. He went to flip his long hair over his shoulder and found it frozen stiff. That figured, he thought glumly. He cracked the ice off his hair then flipped it over his shoulder. Then blew on his hands again. Wind driven snow was pelting his face like sand. It began to hurt. He realized that someone must be playing with him. None of this could simply be coincidence. The realization made him even more determined to wait this out. Squeezing himself closer in the door frame, he curled up in a ball to ride out the storm. 

Time passed. Snow built up more. But the wind was blowing it away from the doorway and the prince, removing whatever cover and protection the snow might have otherwise provided. It grew colder and colder. Colder than a human could tolerate or survive.  
Still asleep Nuada felt little. In his unconsciousness he did feel the creeping icy fingers reach into his bones, but it wasn't enough to rouse him. He still swam in a changing sea of dreams and nightmares almost completely oblivious to the outer world  
After a long time the door finally creaked open and a light shone into the snow.  
The sound jolted the prince to consciousness again. He went to open his eyes and was surprised to find he couldn't. Automatically his hands went to rub them to no avail. They were sealed shut....either by ice or supernatural means he didn't know. For a few moments he panicked, but quickly tamped that down. He couldn't allow himself to panic. That would cloud his other senses and leave him defenseless. No, no matter what was happening he could not lose control of his fear.  
As he sat wondering what was happening and what he should do a kind voice came to his ears saying 'You poor thing, waiting here for so long. Come inside where its warm.". A gentle hand closed around his, drawing him up.  
Stiffly he was able to get to his feet, shivering, still partly wet, barely able to feel his legs, he didn't quite dare move.  
"Why do you hesitate?" the kind voice asked.  
" I cannot see." he replied.  
" Then follow my voice." came the reply. " I will guide you.". The hand drew him forward.  
Realizing his only other choice was to keep sitting outside in the snow, Nuada shuffled forward, stiff from the extreme cold and however long he'd been sitting there. Reaching out he used his other senses to try and guide him.  
Carefully he crossed the threshold and his feet felt a bare surface under them. It was warm in here. He could hear the crackle of a fire and smell food. All of this seemed good....but he was wary. He wasn't sure if this was real or an illusion or perhaps one of his dreams.  
A few steps in the hand released his and he stopped, a bit unsure of the layout of this place or how to navigate it. Behind him the door closed and the cold air on his back was gone. That much was welcome.  
He could hear someone moving about, the rustle of fabric against itself. He heard a chair slide across a wooden floor. Still he stood there shivering. He tried to control that too with little success.  
" Come, sit here." the voice came again. It took his hand and led him farther into the room. Instinctively he raised his free hand a few inches to keep from running into anything. But his guide was careful and didn't hurry him.  
Finding the chair he carefully sat down. He could feel the warmth of a fire in front of him. The sensation made him shiver harder.  
" You poor thing." the voice said again sympathetically. "I'm sorry you were left so long in the cold. Here, let me help you." it went on.  
Presently he felt hands unfastening his clothes and taking them off. "Who are you?" he asked.  
" I have many names." came the reply.  
That figured, Nuada thought. It was typical of gods and spirits to be evasive and be known by multiple names.  
Still, once his wet armor and tunic were removed he felt much better. The fires warmth and dryness of the room began to thaw the icy cold that had seeped into his bones but he still shivered.  
Presently what felt like a warm blanket was draped around him and he tugged it closer around himself.  
"Why are you helping me?" he asked.  
' I thought you came here for help." the voice answered, somewhat bemusedly.  
" I came to see the lord and lady." he said.  
" So you did." the voice said " But you'll not get far if you freeze to death."  
"But.....I'm already dead." Nuada said puzzledly. " How can I die?"  
"There are many levels to the afterlife and to each their own death." came the reply. "You can die from this level to another.just as you passed from the world of the living into this one."  
Nuada thought about that. As he did he noticed the sound of water being poured. He wondered what was in the offing now. Presently he felt something warm and wet pressed to his eyes. Instinctively he pulled back a bit.  
"Hush" came the voice. " This will help restore your sight."  
" Why are you doing this?" he asked again.  
"Why can't you accept help?" came the reply.  
" I.......know nothing about this place. Who is friend or foe."  
" You don't know who you can trust.You're afraid to put your trust in the wrong place." the voice said "That is always a risk. But sometimes you must trust without knowing. You seek certainty yet the world is full of uncertainty. It is an impossible quest."  
" I've been betrayed in the past." he said "It's made me more.......cautious."  
"Cautious or paranoid? One is a more extreme version of the other." it said " Do you really wish to meet the lord and lady wet, frozen, stiff and blind or as the prince you were born?".  
Nuada has to admit this person was right. He'd make a sorry sight shivering and blind. Easily dismissed by anyone in a position of authority. Whoever it was helping him was doing him a great favor. "Forgive my mistrust." he said "I don't mean to sound ungrateful."  
The voice seemed to chuckle briefly. "Your fears are forgiven." it said "You are in a place unfamiliar to you. It is always wise to be cautious in such situations. But to refuse help when you need it is foolishness. You of all people should know that."  
Somewhat chastened Nuada decided to shut up and let this person do what they would for him.  
The warm compress was refreshed several times before his eyes felt they could open.  
" Is that better?" the voice asked.  
Nuada considered it. " I think so, yes." he said, thinking some more.  
A dry cloth patted his eyes and the voice said "Try to open them now.".  
He gave it a try and while the lids still seemed a bit stuck he was able to open them after a couple of attempts. He blinked several times to make sure they were clear then looked around the room. It was a humble place, yet comfortable. One room, a hearth, which he was seated before, a table, which he was seated at, a makeshift bed in one corner and shelves packed with jars, bottles, storage gourds and all manner of household things. A typical small cottage, in other words. "Very nice." he said, and he meant it. He'd been in such places many times in his life and typically found them hospitable.  
Next he looked himself over to see if the extreme cold had done him any other harm. Examining his hands and arms everything seemed to be in good shape. None the worse for his adventure so far.  
Then he looked at his host. Before him was a woman, tall and fair with long reddish brown hair. She was clad in a deep red gown, unadorned save for a belt with an intricate silver buckle. She smiled at him.  
"Welcome Prince Nuada Silverlance." she said.  
"Thank you my Lady." he said politely. " Thank you again for your help. I didn't mean to offend."  
She smiled wider "I know." she said.  
Turning to the hearth she ladled some soup into a wooden bowl and handed it to him. "To warm your insides as much as your outside."  
"Thank you." he said accepting the bowl. He looked at the soup closely, remembering the dragons warning. It was clear enough and he had to admit he was hungry. He began to eat. " What of the Lord and Lady?" he asked.  
"They are not ready for you yet. " she said. "As the dragon said, it is for them to decide whom to see and when. "  
The prince nodded.That was about what he'd figured. Part of him was impatient to get on with things but another part was resigned to waiting.  
" You're concerned about wasting time." the lady said. " Time, as the living know it, has no meaning here. It is an illusion. A thousand years could pass in a day, and we'd never know it. "  
The prince nodded again. It wasn't what he'd wanted to hear but had no choice but to accept it.  
Finishing his soup he stretched his legs a bit. They'd thawed by now and he could feel them again. He decided to stand up. Putting the bowl aside he shifted his feet and pushed himself up. Aside from some weakness in his knees and a squishing sound coming from his soaked boots, he was fine. He moved around the table carefully and found he felt perfectly fine. Looking around some more he was puzzled by something.  
" Lord Grinlaff told me this was the entrance to the world of the lord and lady." he began " Why do I not see it?"  
" Nothing here is as it would seem in the living world." the lady reminded him. "Everything will be made clear to you when the time comes."  
Crossing the room she went to a trunk and opened it. Rummaging around she took out a tunic and brought it to him. "Here." she said "To wear until your clothes are dry.".  
"Again, thank you." he said and put it on. The fabric was soft and light yet warm too.  
" You'll be warmer if you take off your boots and pants." she suggested.  
Nuada hesitated, suddenly hit with a wave of modesty.  
The woman seemed amused by this. "I'll turn my back if you like." she said.  
" If you would..." he responded.  
With a smile she turned and he removed the rest of his wet clothes and hung them by the fire to dry.  
When she turned back he was standing there in the tunic which covered him to his knees. He seemed satisfied. "Is that better?" she asked.  
"Much." he replied.  
"Perhaps you would like to rest for a while?" she suggested motioning toward the bed in the corner.  
" I slept much of the time I was outside waiting." he pointed out.  
"You may be waiting much more." she said. " Why not rest for now. You'll be warmer under the blankets."  
The prince had to admit he was again growing weary. He wasn't sure why but perhaps the warm hearth and the warm soup were having an effect on him. Looking at his host he wondered if there were more to her suggestion than rest. Her expression gave him no clue.  
Having no better option he decided to do as she suggested and went to the bed in the corner. With an eye on his host he slipped under the blankets and lay back. He had to admit it felt good to lay down. He closed his eyes for a minute enjoying the feeling. When he opened them again she was nowhere to be seen. The fire still burned brightly and everything else appeared the same. He hadn't heard or felt the door open either. It was a bit puzzling but he decided not to dwell on it for now. Instead he settled himself and let his mind wander until he drifted off to sleep again.

Elsewhere the lord and lady were watching.  
"I told you not to help him." the Lord said sternly.  
" And YOU promised not to harm him." she replied just as sharply. "You nearly killed him! That was NOT what we agreed to. You said you'd be fair. "  
" It is a test. It isn't meant to be easy."  
" You soaked him with rain, buried him in snow and nearly froze him with cold yet he remained at the door waiting. What more do you want of him?"  
" I was testing his resolve."  
"And he passed that test. " she said "He is determined to seek our help."  
" Only because you intervened."  
" Because he was nearing death. " she said " You say his heart is black but yours is blacker than his. Stop this charade and let him come."  
"I'm not done with him yet."  
" If you keep this up I will go to the others. " she said. "They will put a stop to your game."  
The lord didn't reply at once. He knew she was serious in her threat. Still he wasn't about to give up on this just yet. " He has passed one test. " he said "He must pass another before I will see him."  
"He passed several tests just to get this far." she pointed out. " He showed courage in the face of the undead, discipline in refusing to harm them when they were a threat, strength in climbing the cliff face, and resolve in waiting by the door. What more do you want to see?"  
The lord thought a few moments. He hadn't really decided what he wanted to do next. " Modesty? Humility?"  
The lady laughed "Did you not see him refuse to disrobe in my presence?" she asked " I had to turn my back first."  
"That was only for a moment." he said.  
" You still want to break him." she observed "Make him crawl to you naked and bleeding. I will not allow that. "  
" He must learn that he cannot command things here as he did in life. It is for me to decide his fate, not him."  
"t is for US to decide, not you alone." the lady said "And I have already made my decision."  
The lord looked at her disdainfully. " As I said, you like him too much.". he said "I want to give him one more test before deciding what to do with him."  
The lady gave this some thought. "Very well. As long as you do him no harm."  
" I will do him no harm." the lord said. " But he will not know that."

A change in the atmosphere awoke Nuada. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep but it was certainly more restful than his previous naps. That was a welcome change.  
Opening his eyes he looked around to find the comfortable cottage was gone. He was back outside again, lying on the ground in the darkness. He sat up and looked around. The blanket was still covering him but that was all that remained of the cottage. Everything else was gone, including his clothes. That was an uncomfortable realization. He still had the tunic he'd been given, that was all. Part of him regretted falling asleep but the other part knew he'd needed real rest which he'd not had so far. At least the snow was gone, he noted. There was little wind and the temperature was more bearable.  
He stood up, holding onto the blanket, and looked around some more. He could see no sign of the cottage or the lady who'd helped him. That didn't really surprise him. It was clear she was an immortal of some kind. Agent of the Lady who ruled this place or perhaps the lady herself, he wasn't sure. She had been very kind and helpful. He wasn't about to forget that.  
Looking down the road he supposed he should follow it, as he had before. Looking at the sides of the road he didn't see any skeletons lying in wait. Perhaps he'd passed them and they would no longer be a problem.  
Looking down at his bare legs and feet he regretted taking off his pants and boots. Now he had no protection for his feet as he walked. That wasn't good. Oh well....he thought....he'd been in predicaments as bad or worse in the past. He'd survived them. He'd make it through this too. He flung the blanket over his shoulders and tied it around his neck. Better some protection than none at all he thought. With a sigh he began to walk again.

As before he walked on for hours uncounted. There was nothing to see in all this land. Dead plants, trees, rocks boulders, that was all.Thankfully no skeleton creatures , but nothing else either. No dragons, skeletal fairies or dead crows either. He noticed too there were no real sounds to be heard. A breeze from time to time but that was all. The road wound on and on, up hill and down. He found it was generally leading in the direction of the shore. That might not be a bad thing, he thought. Maybe he'd be able to find some peace by the black waters. He always did love the ocean.  
Rounding a bend his ear caught the sound of bubbling water rather like a fountain. Looking around it seemed to be coming from a grove of trees ahead. Curious and having nothing better to do he headed for it.  
Approaching cautiously he looked at the trees closely. Nothing seemed threatening so far. As he moved closer he could see a cleared circle around some rocks. The biggest rock in the middle, had water bubbling from the top of it, pouring down into a pool and creating a small stream that ran off to one side. He paused to enjoy the sight and sound of the thing. It wasn't unlike magical and sacred places he'd seen in elder days. He could feel his heart lighten a bit. This was a surprising bit of lightness amid such a dark place. He smiled watching it.  
After a minute or two he decided he was a bit thirsty and could use a drink of fresh water....if that's what this was. He wondered if it were as clear as it looked. Still being cautious, he approached slowly and extended a hand to the water bubbling out of the top. He let it run over his fingers for a moment or two. Yes it was clear. Withdrawing his hand he sniffed at the water on his fingers. Nothing of concern there either. He tasted a drop or two. That was ok as well. It was probably safe to drink this. He cupped his hands and let the water run into them then drank. It was cool, pure and refreshing. He drank some more.  
It took a couple of minutes until his thirst was satisfied. Once it was he took a look around the grove of trees surrounding the fountain. The trees, while dead, were white...like those of the forests of his childhood. They were all of decent size too. Slowly he went from one to another examining each one closely. He would run a hand up the smooth trunk of one tree or another, sensing familiarity with them even if he didn't know where or how he 'knew' them. They were still somehow familiar.  
He was so engrossed with his survey of the trees he was startled when he heard a voice say 'Nuada...'  
Turning his heart nearly stopped when he recognized a white figure at the ends of the grove. "Mother..." he whispered almost breathlessly. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.  
The figure dressed in bright white with long white hair smiled at him and extended a hand. "Nuada..." she said again with a warm kind smile.  
The prince went to her at once, taking her hand in both of his dropped to one knee and kissed it and held it to his cheek. "Mother!" he said again. "I'm sorry." he said sadly "I'm so sorry. I wasn't there when you needed me."  
" It's all right." she said "It was not your fault. Do not blame yourself for what could not be helped."  
"I failed you." he said. "I've never forgiven myself for that."  
" You did your best. That's all anyone can ask."the figure said.  
" It wasn't enough." he protested.  
His mother smiled at him "Sometimes your best isn't enough. " she said. "You have been too hard on yourself Nuada. Let it go."  
looking closely at her his eyes growing damp he said "I cannot. It is more than I can forgive myself for."  
The elf queen drew him to his feet and embraced him "My dear child, I've watched you torture yourself over this for hundreds of years. It pains me to see you so distressed. Take comfort in my words now. I am at peace. I hold nothing against you. No one, not even you, can hold back the hand of fate or the sands of time. All things change. Perfection is the province of gods, not elves or men.Why hold yourself to a standard you cannot possibly achieve? "  
" So I do not fail others the way I failed you." he replied.  
"You did not fail me my son. " she said "You have made me proud and sad. Proud of the things you have achieved by your work and efforts, and sad for how far you've strayed from the right path."  
Nuada looked at her a little puzzledly. "How?"  
She smiled at him "Look at how angry you've become." she said " Your anger and hatred have colored everything you do. This is not the son I once knew. The one I raised. Let them go and be at peace."  
Nuada thought about this. "Are you asking me to stay here?" he asked. Considering he was talking to his mother this wasn't all that unattractive a notion.  
" I'm telling you to let go what you cannot change." she said " Accept what has happened and be at peace."  
Nuada drew back from her a bit and thought about what she said. As ever there was wisdom in her words but while he could accept some things others he could not. " But.....what of our people? Who will fight for them if not me?"  
" That is no longer your concern." she said. " The running of their affairs is beyond your care now. Let them go."  
He reluctantly pulled away from her "I cannot." he said shaking his head sadly. " So much has gone wrong." he said "They have no one to speak for them, no one to take up their cause. Father abandoned that ages ago. Who else will care if I do not.?"  
" It is beyond you to do anything for them now Nuada." his mother said "Leave them be."  
Stepping away from her he looked down and shook his head. " I....I cannot." he responded. "I am sorry I failed you, I'd do anything to make up for that, but this is too much to ask of me."  
" But I am asking my son." she said. " You always listened to my counsel, even over that of your father. Why do you not listen to me now? Do you not love me?"  
" I love you Mother, more than anyone except Nuala." he said "But this.......you're asking me to give up on the whole of our people and accept what is unacceptable. That I cannot do."  
"Then you are lost." she said a bit sadly.  
The sadness in her voice made him sad as well. Looking away he said "Perhaps I am. " he said quietly. " But I cannot give up yet. I must find a way..."  
Looking up again he saw her smile at him sadly and open her arms to him. "Come my son." she said.  
With a slight smile he went back to her and accepted her warm embrace.  
" I forgive you for your failures my son. " she said " You have always had, and always will have my love."  
" Thank you mother." he said. Again he felt he wanted to cry but restrained himself.  
Gradually he became aware that her embrace was growing stronger, the arms around him growing tighter. " Mother... ' he whispered.  
" Hush my son." came the reply.  
The arms seemed to wrap around him two or three more times and began to squeeze tightly. He was rather startled and tried to pull away but found he couldn't. " Mother....' he said again more concernedly " You're hurting me." he objected.  
"No more than you've hurt me son." came the reply, an odd, more angry tone appearing in her voice. Her appearance changed as well, the image of his mother becoming more demonic and frightening yet still recognizable. The arms squeezed tighter, making it harder and harder to breathe. It was as if she was squeezing the life out of him.  
"Mother, let go." he said becoming alarmed and trying to push back.  
This time there was no reply as the arms turned into white branches that began to twine around him and become entangled with each other, squeezing the life out of him.  
He couldn't hurt this thing, whatever it was. That was the rule. Thinking quickly he recalled an old spell and with the last of the air in his lungs he began to recite it.  
Almost at once, the branches stopped tightening around him and let go.  
No air left in his lungs Nuada passed out and fell to the ground beside the fountain.

"That was cruel." the Lady said sternly. "Using his mother to try and trap him here."  
The Lord smiled a little. "It worked didn't it?" he responded.  
"What was it you were trying to do?" she asked, unable to fathom his intent.  
" I'm testing him."  
" You're playing with him as a cat does a mouse." she said. " Stop the charade. He's suffered enough."  
" I thought it rather touching they way he reacted when he saw her." the Lord said. " She did say she wanted to speak to him, even briefly."  
" I doubt this was how she wanted it to end. That IS her son.".  
"I promised I wouldn't harm him and I didn't." the Lord objected. "Why are you arguing with me?"  
" Squeezing the life out of someone isn't hurting them? Turning them into a tree isn't hurting them? You've a strange notion of harm."  
The lord smiled at her anger. It was almost as much fun watching her reaction as it was to watch Nuada suffer. "Calm yourself." he said bemusedly. "He's come to no serious harm. See? He's stirring already."

Indeed Nuada was stirring. Air returning to his lungs he gradually regained consciousness. His ribs ached as did his stomach muscles. He sucked air into his lungs as quickly as he could, feeling rejuvenated blood spread through his body. Slowly he moved an arm, then a leg and pushed himself off the ground and looked around him. "Mother...?" he murmured confusedly. There was no one else there. He was alone again. When he had regained enough energy he crawled to the spot where she'd been standing. There were footprints in the dirt. His and another pair. He hadn't imagined it, she HAD been there. Someone had but....what had happened ? Was she the one who tried to squeeze him to death or was that someone, something else? He couldn't quite accept that she would have done that. There must have been some other influence involved. No matter how angry his mother might have become with him, she'd never hurt him, even as a child she rarely raised a hand to him.  
Still....he'd seen her and talked with her. He'd missed her so very much over the years. And nothing had ever been able to erase the feeling that he'd failed her so long ago. He'd finally been able to tell her that....if that had really been her. He didn't know any more. He couldn't be sure of anything in this place. Emotions in turmoil he sat by the footprints dejectedly and tried to work it all out.

The Lord and Lady watched him, one amused the other concerned. Neither speaking or making a move to help or hinder him further. After a few moments the lady walked away to gaze out a window.Whatever she was thinking about was interrupted by a wren sized dragonet. It flew in and circled the lady several times, chattering. She held up a hand and it landed there, flapping tiny wings urgently. She listened closely then spoke a few words to it and it flew off.  
" What is it? the Lord asked. He recognized the thing as a messenger and could only imagine this was another interruption to his game.  
" It's a message from the others. Something has come up. They want him brought in."  
The Lord scowled and looked at the glass and the image of the prince. He wasn't done with him.......yet.  
"Leave off your torments. " she said, noticing his expression. "You've done enough."  
He didn't answer her.  
" They want him unharmed." she added. "And they want him brought in."  
He scowled harder. "Did you.....?"  
"I did not, but you know there is nothing that escapes their notice."  
He looked back at the glass and the dejected prince. There was no arguing with the order, he knew that. He wondered what caused the others to take an interest in Nuada over the thousands of others that entered his realm every day. I didn't matter much. They wanted what they wanted. "Very well." he said grudgingly. " You may bring him in."  
The Lady smiled and nodded. 

In the grove Nuada remained sitting and unhappy. What was going on here? Why were these things happening to him? What had he done to deserve this? Well.....that he had an answer for. He could think of any number of things he'd done that might warrant reprisal in the afterlife. But if that was the case, why wasn't he at least made aware of it? And what of his mother? Had that really been her he'd seen? Was it a demon trying to trap him, or something else? He still wasn't sure but.....it had seemed so real......yet.....he couldn't believe his mother would hurt him like that.  
As he sat there a light appeared behind him. It grew brighter until it shone like the sun and cast a long shadow in front of him.  
Distracted from his dark thoughts he looked over his shoulder and saw an opening like a door that had appeared out of nowhere. Curious he rose and turned to face it. Inside the door he could just make out what looked like a hallway. It seemed safe enough inside. Indeed he got the feeling that he was supposed to go inside. Was this another trick? He didn't know. Ultimately he decided the only way to find out was to pass through the door. Part of him was wary and didn't want to but something deeper told him to go.  
Slowly he approached the doorway. He paused again at the threshold and looked inside. Again he saw nothing of concern. He stepped across and into the hallway.  
As soon as he did the light became less bright and he could see better. Carefully he examined his new surroundings. Everything was still bright. White marble walls and floor reflected light coming from above. He walked down the hall slowly, not sure what to expect but ready for just about anything.

Elsewhere a number of gods were watching the prince as he cautiously made his way through the hallway.  
"They've brought him in." one god said.  
" Do you think this is wise?" A goddess asked.  
"We have all seen the danger." said what seemed to be the most senior god. "We all know what is at stake."  
"Can he be trusted, do you think?"Another goddess asked.  
" We know he will not let his people die if he can help it. That much is certain. He is determined to go back."  
" But this requires he save his enemies as well. Would he do that?"  
" Who else is there to send?" another asked.  
" No one." someone else said. "The days of the great heroes are long past. "  
" We don't need him to be a great hero." the eldest said. " We just need someone to tip the balance the right way. That much he can do. "  
"If he strays from the path?"  
" Then he returns to the underworld forever and he receives the treatment he earned."  
The gods looked at each other and seemed to think this over for a while.  
" Do you agree?" the senior god asked.  
Slowly, one by one, the gods and goddesses nodded their assent. The plan was agreed to.  
" Then send word to the underworld. No more torments. Prepare him for his next adventure."

In the hallway, Nuada walked slowly, cautiously, keeping an eye on his surroundings. Too many unpleasant surprises had made him more wary. Still, this place seemed safe enough so far. The walls and floor were white marble with pillars carved to look like trees with leaves that looked like green gemstones.. Above was a clear ceiling through which a blue sky and white clouds could be seen. He could hear birds, but no matter how he looked he couldn't see any. Ahead he could see another doorway and beyond that what looked like a room. It was darker than the hallway. As he drew closer he began to make out a fire burning at one end. It looked welcoming, but was it? Only by going on would he learn the answer.  
When he reached the doorway, he paused and looked around. It was a large room, the hearth he'd seen at one end, a pair of ornate thrones on a low dais at the other. There were large windows letting outside light flood the room. To one side of the dais another doorway, and by one window what looked like the entry to an outer deck. The room was empty. Not even a guard or servant could be seen. Not even a mouse. Not an unpleasant space, he thought but he wondered at its emptiness. .  
Cautiously he stepped inside and looked around some more. There were colorful tapestries and hangings on the walls. Taking a closer look at them he saw familiar scenes from history; his peoples history, lore of times long before he'd been born. Legends he'd grown up with. All kinds of things. Seeing them brought a smile to his face. So many things to remember....good and bad.  
In his examination of the room he found something else, something that surprised him. His clothes! His smile grew wider and he went to them. His tunic, armor, pants and boots all laid out nicely, clean and dry, by the hearth. He took a quick look around to make sure he was really alone, then stripped off his plain tunic and happily began to don his own garments again.  
He'd hardly tied his sash when he heard a soft rustling sound behind him. Turning he saw a lady enter the room from the side door. She looked very much like the woman who'd helped him at the cottage, but her hair was much different and her clothes more ornate. She smiled as she looked at him "Welcome Prince Nuada Silverlance." she said.  
Bowing his head and placing a hand over his heart he responded "Thank you my Lady.".  
"I see you have recovered your clothes." she said, a somewhat bemused note in her voice.  
"Yes. " he said " Is it you I must thank for that?"  
The lady smiled a little wider. " A tunic and a blanket are hardly appropriate garb for a prince, especially one as renown as yourself."  
"I've managed with less." he admitted. " But not gladly."  
The lady laughed softly at this. " I imagine not. A proud warrior like yourself would not suffer indignities gladly."  
It was Nuada's turn to laugh a little.  
"And you survived, no worse for all that."  
He nodded.  
The lady crossed the room to the entry to the deck and paused. Looking at him she raised a hand, inviting him to join her outside.  
The prince went over and followed her out the door.  
Outside there was bright sunshine, the scenery around and below was green and full of life. Birds and dragons dotted the skies and flowers graced the hills. It was a beautiful idyllic scene. So different from the black and grey lands he'd been walking for so long.  
Nuada smiled at it all. It as like something out of a dream....or from deep in his memory.  
" You like this place?" the lady asked, seeing his reaction.  
"Yes." he said. " It's beautiful. " he paused, thinking about all he'd been through so far and added 'But....I'm confused. Since I arrived all I've seen has been dark and lifeless. How can this be so different?"  
" As you were told, there are many levels to this world. " she said "You were in one level. When you entered the doorway you entered our level, which is the level of the gods. The ones here are those we invite in. It is a privilege permitted to very few. Consider yourself fortunate."  
" I am honored." Nuada responded. " But.....why am I here?"  
" Because...." came a deep male voice behind them, causing them to turn and look "The Gods wanted you here."  
As they watched a tall dark haired bearded man came out, walking slowly with his hands clasped behind his back. Nuada could only believe this was the lord of the land of the dead. The mans steely eyes seemed to look through him and without much pleasure.  
" I certainly didn't want you here." he continued, glaring at the prince.  
Nuada recalled the words of the dragon. The lady had been gracious but the lord was definitely displeased with him. He had to be respectful. He dropped to on knee and bowed his head "My lord, I am grateful for the favor."  
" And well you should be." the lord said sternly. "You certainly do not deserve to be here, after what you've done."  
This reminded him of the times as a young elf he'd been reprimanded by his father. He felt that small in the presence of this unhappy being. Yet he stood tall in the face of it. " I only did what I thought was best at the time my lord. "  
"Hmph." the god responded. " In some things perhaps, in others no. But that matters not right now. The Gods have ordered me to bring you here for a reason. It is they who are showing you favor, not I. Were it up to me you'd be boiling in the black sands of the seventh level. What honor you once had has been lost, turned to blackness, hate and cruelty. None of those are virtues worthy of mercy. "  
" But I..." whatever Nuada was going to say was stopped when a force unseen picked him up and slammed him into a stone wall with enough force to knock the wind out of him. It released him and he slid to the ground, landing in a heap.  
"SILENCE!" the God bellowed angrily. "There is no justification for the evil things you've done! "  
The lady stepped up "Not everything he has done was evil, nor without justification." she said " Let him be."  
The two divinities locked eyes for a few moments and the god, somewhat chastened, turned and moved off to one side.  
Nuada got to his feet a little apprehensive about what had just happened. He stood somewhat unsteadily, looking from one god to the other uncertainly.  
When the god had moved off a ways the goddess turned to Nuada "Come, let us have food and drink. There is much to talk about. "

Elsewhere, n the land of the living something else was happening. An evil reawakening in the otherwise peaceful Irish countryside.  
In an underground chamber, far from the prying eyes of the outside world, several people were gathered. In the background old German music was playing on an ancient phonograph while three people surrounded a fourth, tending him like he were a king. A blond woman got a long coat and held it as the man, bald with dark facial hair, shrugged into it.  
"What news do you have for me Ilsa?" he asked her.  
" Good news Grigory." she said. " The location of the Golden Army has been found. "  
" The Golden Army..." he mused.  
"Yes." a third man said " The unstoppable army from ancient times. Five thousand mechanical soldiers. The perfect addition to our plan."  
Grigory seemed to think this over. He knew of this army of course and the lore surrounding it. " What of the crown? We will need that to control it."  
" I'm told it has been reassembled. The prince of Bethmoora was said to have had it. " the man told him.  
Grigory thought this over." You are sure of this?" he asked. They nodded. " And yet he did not use it. " he said That seemed odd to him. " I wonder why."  
"Perhaps he is waiting for a sign Lord." the man said.  
"Perhaps" Rasputin mused. He was thinking on the possibilities open to him if the Golden Army were in his hands. There were many.  
" It would make conquest much easier if we had it under our command." Ilsa said. She and Rasputin were of one mind on this sort of thing.  
"Indeed. " Rasputin thought this over some more. "When is the eclipse due to occur? "  
"Thirteen weeks from now." Ilsa responded.  
"And where is the Child?"  
" Here Lord." the man said "He and his friends are living here. In a house forty kilometers away. "  
A smile appeared on Rasputins face. "Excellent." he said. "Zinco, what work have you been doing for me?"  
" I have obtained an old castle as a base for our operations." the man said " I have started work on the Ragnar Rok Army, as Ilsa and Kroenen directed. I have also been experimenting with resurrecting creatures long dead and creating new ones to augment the army. The results are very promising so far."  
"With the Golden Army in our hands, none will be able to stand in our way." Ilsa added. " Victory will be ours."  
Grigory thought this over and could only agree. "Very well." he said. " Do you know the way to the ancient city?" he asked his companions.  
They nodded.  
" Then let us go there and see for ourselves what this army is like."  
With that he started off heading for the stairs that would lead them to the surface and on to their goal. His companions close behind.

At the country house, not far away, a taxi was pulled up to the front door, the driver loading bags into it.  
In the doorway a tall red figure was standing by a shorter dark haired woman. Hellboy was going on a trip.  
" Shouldn't be more than two, three weeks." HB said, somewhat reassuringly. " I'll be back before you know it."  
The woman made a face " Red you know how these things go. They always take more time than you expect.".  
"Hey...gimme a break, I'm trying to be optimistic here." he said " Besides you know we need the money."  
Liz nodded. She knew indeed. Now that they were no longer employed by BPRD, and benefiting from living on the bureau's dime, the reality of finances had become painfully apparent to all of them. There was food to buy, utilities to pay, bank accounts to monitor, a million and one little things ordinary people dealt with every day that they'd never had to bother with. That and the anticipated extra expenses of having twins weighed on everyones mind.  
"Just......be careful." she said. " You're sure you don't want me and Abe to come along?"  
HB sighed. Not this again. " Hey, we went over that already." he said " You KNOW why you can't go."  
" Yeah, I'm pregnant. " she replied a bit sharply " But I'm not disabled. Not yet anyway. There's still a lot of things I can do. ".  
" Not taking chances." the demon said. " Come on, I gotta go. I'll miss my plane.".  
" They'll wait for you." she said a bit pointedly.  
" Aww.... come on....they won't wait forever."  
Liz crossed her arms and gave him 'that' look. " It's a charter sent by the Romanian government. They sent it for YOU. They're not leaving without you.".  
Hellboy loved when she looked at him like that. " Come on babe....you KNOW I'd bring you along if I could...."  
"And don't call me 'babe'." she added sharply. She was getting mad now.  
Taking a step closer to her Hellboy caught her chin in one hand and raised it a bit. " You know what I mean." he said. Leaning over he gave her a kiss on the forehead then stepped back. "Mind the kids for me." he said, turned and walked to the cab.  
As the cab started and headed down the driveway, he gave her a wave out the window.  
Watching it go Liz gave an unenthusiastic half wave back. She hated to see him go but she was also mad at him for being so......callous about her feelings. Why did he do that? Again she wondered if she was doing the right thing staying with him, in this place. She could probably go back to the bureau if she wanted to. She'd done it before. A lot of times. She could do it again, she was certain.  
After the car disappeared she turned and went back into the house. The breakfast dishes were waiting to be washed.

Back in the underworld the Lady led Nuada to a room with a large table. There were five other people...he assumed they were divinities of different kinds... seated around it. At the entrances were what looked like guards but they were creatures of a kind he'd never seen before. The Lady motioned for him to take a seat at the table. Warily, he eyed the guards, went to the chair and seated himself. The Lady took another seat a little ways away, still looking on him kindly.  
As soon as all were seated attendants brought food and drink and placed it in front of each person.  
The prince looked over the others at the table before looking at his own plate. Before him was a variety of fruits, cheeses breads and meatballs of all colors. Some red, some whitish, some purple others green. The words of the dragon sounded in his ears again. He was again grateful for the creatures warning.  
" Would you like white wine or red your highness?" the Lady asked.  
" White, if you please." he responded.  
She smiled approvingly and cast a look at the others at the table, who also seemed to approve.  
The serving creatures appeared again and poured wine for everyone, Nuada's glass filled with a white wine.  
Once the glasses were filled everyone took theirs up, as did the prince, there were nods all around and everyone took a sip, replacing the glasses when they were done. So far no words were spoken.  
And so it remained for a minute or so. The eyes of the others were on Nuada, as if waiting for him to do something, or maybe just observing him. He wasn't sure which.  
At last, the silence lasted too long and the prince spoke up. " My lords, my ladies, may I ask why you've brought me here...?"  
The question seemed to satisfy the others.  
" We understand it is your desire to return to the world of the living. " One god asked. "For what purpose?"  
" To save my people." Nuada replied. " And our world."  
When he didn't elaborate the god said "Go on."  
" They're dying. The carelessness of humans is driving them to extinction. They need someone to stand up for them, fight for them, I promised them I would do that but I was not able to keep my promise. I cannot help them from here.".  
" You think you can do a better job than your father, the King?" another god asked.  
" My father....he abandoned his duty to protect them. I have not. He insisted on upholding the truce, even after it failed to stop the bloodshed, as I predicted it would. I did what I could for them, even in exile. He did nothing even when petitioned in court. Can I do a better job? How could I possibly do worse?"  
" Do you have no love, no reverence for your father?" another asked.  
Nuada looked down for a moment. " I do.....I always did. " he replied.  
" And yet you killed him with your own hand....."  
Nuada expected this to come up. The moment they asked about Balor he knew he'd have to answer for killing him. "He sentenced me to death." he replied "Was I supposed to allow it? I have no right to defend myself? Allow him to kill my sister as well? She'd done nothing wrong. "  
" So your defense is that you were defending yourself and your sister....?"  
" I did not go there seeking to kill him." Nuada said. " But I was prepared to if necessary."  
" And you believed it was?"  
"If I had merely wanted to assassinate him, I could have done it without openly walking into court." Nuada pointed out. " That was not what I wanted. "  
"What DID you want?" another god asked.  
" To talk to him." Nuada said " Try an get him to see reason. Do something to help the people. He would not."  
"Yet he was the king, his word was law." someone else said.  
" To the people, yes. No one else dared contradict him. I was the only one who dared speak up because he was my father. If he would listen to no one else perhaps he would listen to me."  
"What of the humans killed in the building?"  
"What of the people killed by mans carelessness? " Nuada returned. He was becoming angry. ' Fairies poisoned with chemicals, mermaids caught in fishing nets, pixies and trolls bulldozed to make room for tracts of housing. What of THEM? You're GODS, you can see all. You KNOW what happened to us, you watched it happen. You know the pain and suffering better than I do. Can you really say what I did was without justification?"  
The gods looked away, They'd been trying to put him on the spot but he'd turned the tables on them. He was right...they had seen what had happened to Nuada's people. But there was a difference. They understood why it had to happen that way whereas he did not.  
"Not everything is as it appears to be Nuada." the Lady said, finally speaking up. "There are things that need to happen in ways that seem incomprehensible, but actually have a place in the bigger scheme of things."  
Nuada looked at her, unsure of what to think about this. " Are you saying....my people HAD to die the way they did?" he asked rather incredulously.  
"Yes and no." she replied. " The way they died could have been different, but THAT they died was inevitable. All things come to death when their time is appointed, not before or after. Sometimes they are given a reprieve, but not often. No one lives forever. Only WE know when their time is up. "  
The prince thought on this. It wasn't an easy thing to think about. But something occurred to him as well. "So...why are you questioning me about the death of my father? If, as you say, his time was appointed, he would have died whether by my hand or not. I was merely the agent of his death. And the same for the humans that died. ."  
The gods looked at each other again. Once more the prince had put them on the spot. The Lady seemed pleased with the princes response. She smiled at the others.  
" That is true." the Lady said. " But again it is not the entire picture. That is for US to see and know, not mortals."  
Her response frustrated the prince. He took a sip of wine and said "Why have you brought me here?". All this bantering must have a point somewhere. He wanted to get to it.

In the land of the living, at the country house, Liz had finished washing the dishes and was now busy making the bed and tidying things up in the rest of the house. She had a lot on her mind. Mostly about Red and the current situation they were all in. Leaving the bureau and striking out on their own hadn't gone as smoothly as they might have expected. They'd been lucky enough to get the house...it had previously belonged to a man connected to the British arm of BPRD. He sold it to them for a fraction of its worth as a sort of donation and a favor. But adjusting to life outside the bureau hadn't been easy. None of them had realized how many little things they'd taken for granted that they now had to pay attention to. Things were getting better but they were still running into bumps in the road.  
Liz went from room to room looking for things that needed to be done. She'd made the bed; Abe and Johann didn't have or need beds so it was just the bed she and HB shared that needed tending to. She picked up all his wet towels from the bathroom floor. How many times did she ask him to pick them up himself? Never listened. Next she emptied the hamper and put the dirty clothes in the washer. From another part of the house she heard Johann singing in German. Or was it Austrian? They sounded the same to her. With the TV off (for once) she could hear him. The wash started she decided to go out to the garden and check on that.  
The garden was a semi-formal English cottage garden. A large cobblestone space with beds at 4 corners with a variety of herbs and flowers. A circular space in the center was bare of plants but had 3 stone benches at regular places around the edge. Beyond the cobblestone space was a swath of lawn, bordered by a low brick wall. Beyond that was a large open field that extended to the edge of the woods. There were some stands of trees near the house and to one side leading to a small river that ran from the woods through the field and away from the property.  
Abe loved the river and made a point of swimming in it at least once a day. That's where he'd gone first thing that morning. At least one of them had developed a routine they were happy with Liz thought as she went out to look things over.  
One of the things Liz was learning about life here at the house was that she really wasn't good with plants. The garden, which had looked so nice when they'd first moved in, was now getting overgrown with weeds and the plants themselves were looking sickly and drab. She tried to weed it as often as she thought of it but even that didn't seem to be helping. It always seemed over watered or under watered or something. She tried looking on-line for help but since she couldn't really be sure what was growing there, what should be growing there or what shouldn't it was a hit or miss proposition. Even Abe and Johann, well versed in so many things, were of little help with this. Nothing they suggested was working. It was frustrating and discouraging.  
She was about to go back inside when a familiar voice said "Ah Liz! I was hoping you'd be here.I wanted to show you something." It was Abe, on his way back from his swim.  
"What?" she asked. looking at him. He seemed to have something in his hand.  
"I found this in the river this morning." the fish man said going up to her and opening his webbed hand. In it there was a rather dirty, somewhat rusty piece of metal.  
"What is it?" Liz asked, showing a bit more interest.  
"Its an early Roman era fibula." Abe said with some excitement. " Very unusual outside of England. "  
" How did it get here?" Liz asked.  
"I haven't gotten that far back in its history yet....its been under water for quite a long time....but I can't wait to find out." he said  
"How did you find it?"  
"There's an old fish in the river that talks to me. " Abe said "He told me about it and led me to it."  
To any average person the idea of someone talking to a fish would seem ludicrous but not to Liz. Abe's special abilities and fish nature made such things fairly normal.  
She gave him a half-smile and said " You'd better go show Johann. He'll want to see it."  
Abe seemed a little disappointed in her less than enthusiastic response. He'd hoped she'd be as excited as he was by the find but was not. Looking at her more closely he sensed she wasn't in a good mood. "Liz......what's wrong?" he asked sympathetically. She was like a sister to him and he hated to see her unhappy.  
Somewhat chagrined she looked away and shrugged a little.  
" Is it because he's gone?" Abe asked. "Please.....tell me..."  
She shook her head a little. " I don't know." she replied. " I don't know what it is." she admitted. Truthfully she had no clue as to what was causing her discontent.  
" Is it your condition?" Abe asked.  
Again Liz shrugged. She didn't know.  
"Well...depression and mood swings are common in pregnancy." Sapien said. " Would you like Dr Krauss and I to examine you again?"  
"No." Liz said somewhat sharply. They'd been poking and prodding her almost daily since they'd settled here and her pregnancy became pretty much the center of their attention.  
"I know this is difficult..." Abe began, trying to be helpful "Having TWINS for your FIRST pregnancy isn't helping and the fact it'll be so much LONGER than a regular human pregnancy makes it all worse but......try to look on the bright side.....in 12 months it'll all be over!"  
Liz turned on him with a look that could have curdled new milk. He HAD to say that didn't he?  
Her reaction made Abe take a step back somewhat crestfallen. He'd been trying to be encouraging but apparently failed miserably.  
"I'm sorry." he added lamely. " I didn't mean it like that."  
She said nothing but the reminder that because of Hellboy her pregnancy was going to be TWICE as long as a normal human one was not her idea of being helpful.  
Chagrined, Abe retreated to the house with his prize no doubt to share with Johann, leaving Liz alone in the garden among the equally unhappy plants.

"There must be a reason why you brought me here." Nuada said when his first comment on it got no answer. He was trying to be patient. It wasn't easy.  
The gods looked at each other again as if trying to decide how or whether to answer him.  
Nuada looked to each one in turn, trying to read their faces without much luck. They were as clear as a muddy river. What was the term humans used? Poker faced? Yes that was it.  
Finally the lady to his right spoke. "There is a threat to the earth." She began "Not from mankind but from one man."  
"He is powerful." Another god said. 'He can command elements and creatures. He can resurrect the dead."  
" He has died and returned several times with the help of his god." a third said. " He has returned again and is seeking to release his god from its prison and unleash destruction upon the earth. "  
Nuada digested this thoughtfully. He wasn't sure what to make of it or what it had to do with him, although he could guess parts of it.  
"You're gods yourselves." he pointed out. " You can't deal with this? You're not without power."  
"We have little say in events on earth now, you know this. " Another god said. "Few recognize or honor us they way they did in the past. Our power has diminished. We can see things but little ability to intervene in them. "  
"I'm guessing you want to send me back to do this instead?" he asked.  
" You are adamant about returning to Earth, to the land of the living to save your people. " one goddess said. " We are offering you the opportunity to do much more. To save the whole of the earth from certain destruction.."  
" The whole of the earth....and everything in it?" Nuada asked.  
'Yes."  
"Including the humans?"he asked.  
"Yes." the god said.  
The prince laughed humorlessly. There was no way he'd do anything for the humans. They were the problem & deserved no such mercy.  
"We know how you feel about mankind." a goddess said "But they have earned their place on the earth. Their lives have value just as you and your people do. "  
"We were there first." Nuada pointed out.  
"All things change Nuada." another goddess said. " But there is no choice in this; either the world is saved, and all in it survive or it is destroyed including all of your people."  
He thought it over. He didn't like this at all but he did want to go back and help his people. He wanted to punish mankind for the deaths his people had suffered over the centuries, for the land that had been taken and the way it had been desecrated. "You are asking a great deal of me." he replied at last.  
"We are not asking you to take on this task alone." a god said. "Only to make sure that this man and his minions are defeated. There is another who will also be fighting him. "  
"Who?" the prince asked.  
"You have met him already." A goddess said "Anung un Rama. The humans call him Hellboy."  
The prince stared at the gods incredulously. Hellboy....HE was the one who took away his crown, who'd killed his friend Wink. He fought FOR the humans. Were they serious? " You want me to work with HIM? " he asked in disbelief.  
" This man is his enemy......"  
" I am his enemy!" Nuada snapped. " HIS enemy should be my FRIEND."  
"Let me finish." the goddess said a trifle firmly. " The man who wants to destroy the earth is the foe of Anung un Rama. They have met and contended before. Hellboy has prevailed but he has a weakness. His foe knows of it and will use it against him. We need you to make sure their next contest results in his defeat."  
Again the prince thought this over. It was a difficult situation. Asked to work with his enemy to save the earth, his people AND humans, who are also his enemies. The very thought make him sick. But there was something else.....they were holding back on something, he could feel it. "If I refuse?" he asked.  
"Then we return you to the land of the dead and to the torments the lord has waiting for you." one god said. " You will never see the land of the living again. Your fate will be sealed. "  
That was about what he figured. No choice. " If I agree and we succeed?".  
" We may allow you to remain among the living and help your people as you wish. " a goddess said. " But that will depend upon how you conduct yourself during this......mission. If you wish to remain among the living you must work for it and earn it. "  
"How will I know if I succeeded?"  
" You will know at the end, not before. When this is over and the world is safe, we will decide if you've done enough to remain. "  
"If I fail?" he asked.  
" You will return to the land of the dead, but you may be able to earn your way to a higher level than the one you were in. That will also depend on your conduct. " .  
Nuada took up his wine glass and studied it for a few moments, swirling the contents thoughtfully. It wasn't an easy decision. Well...it was but it wasn't. he definitely did NOT want to return to the place he'd been. Saving the world was one thing. He was all for that. Saving humans and their defender wasn't exactly what he wanted to do. He hated them both, but......did he really have a choice? None that he could see. On the other hand.....could he turn his back on his people? Without help they were sure to die out. He'd sworn to help and defend them. He couldn't do that here. But was the effort and sacrifice worth it? That much he had an answer for. Of course it was.  
Taking a large sip from his glass he put it down again and said "Very well. " he looked each deity squarely in the eye, conveying his displeasure at their conditions, yet agreeing to them nonetheless. He was Prince Nuada....he wasn't going to be cowed so easily. He was better than that. " What must I do?"

At the airport, in a far corner away from the busy center, workmen were loading equipment into a nondescript cargo plane, while Hellboy stood by watching, cigar in his hand.  
"Hey! Careful with that." he told two workers as they rolled a huge metal case into the transport.  
The men looked at him warily and nodded.  
A man in a military uniform approached him "We will be ready to leave soon. " he said in heavily accented English. " Are you ready to go?"  
Hellboy looked at him for a moment or two. He didn't like this guy but remembered he had to play nice. "Yeah....in a minute. " he replied.  
The soldier left and HB took a puff from the cigar. He had a lot on his mind. He wasn't happy about the way he'd left Liz. She wasn't happy he was leaving her.....again. This was the third private job he'd taken since they'd left the bureau. He understood, she didn't like him being away.....especially now, but the reality was they needed the money. They all understood that. Was she more upset that he was going or just that he wasn't taking her along with him? Or was it, as he really thought, something else altogether? If so.....what?  
The soldier appeared again "Everything is on board. As soon as we finish fueling we well be ready to go."  
The demon grunted and nodded absently, still puffing away on his cigar.  
Not wanting to leave on such a sour note HB took out his cell phone and told it "Call Liz." . In seconds the familiar sound of the phone ringing came from the device. And it rang......and rang........and rang....... Eventually another voice came from it saying 'Your call is being directed to voicemail.....'. He hung up. She wasn't answering. He guessed she must still be mad. He supposed he could leave a message.... but he hated those things. He wanted to talk to HER not a machine. Besides what if Abe or Johann got the message instead? Yeah he didn't want them listening to his private messages for Liz. That'd be embarrassing... to say the least. No....he'd try again some other time.  
" Sir we're ready to leave now....." It was the dutiful soldier hurrying him along. Looking at the kid he thought he looked like Myers. Myers....Hellboy wondered off hand how that kid was doing in the antarctic.  
The soldier looked at him, more than a little intimidated by who he was speaking to. " Sir.......?"  
"Yeah yeah, I'm coming." the demon said, took a last puff of the stogie and tossed it aside before following the young soldier into the plane.

Elsewhere on the island, four people were wandering the National Nature Reserve in Antrim. None of them looked like typical holiday makers. Their clothing too out of place for that. But there was no one around to see much less remark on the oddity so they didn't care.  
"The entrance is here somewhere.." Zinco remarked. " The city is deep underground." he added.  
Neither Rasputin nor Ilsa acknowledged the remark. . Grigory seemed to know exactly where he needed to go and Ilsa merely followed him.  
After walking for some time they neared some rocks and Grigory stopped. "It's near here." he said. he said.  
Everyone looked around but no one could see anything that resembled what they were looking for. Ilsa Zinco and Kroenen spread out to see what they could find around the rocks. Rasputin stood in place, looked around and occasionally examined his hands, and waited.  
It didn't take very long before Ilsa reappeared from behind a rock. She was dragging something impatiently with one hand. , like a parent dragging a recalcitrant child back home from the playground. "Grigory!" she called "I've found something."  
Rasputin saw what she had and smiled. Just what he'd been looking for. It was the ancient goblin smith with no legs.  
"Let me go!" the creature at the end of her arm cried "I've done ye no wrong! You've no cause to harm me!"  
"Silence!" Ilsa snapped and gave a yank on its arm.  
"I'll not be silent!" it cried. " You've no cause to do me harm I tell ye. "  
Ilsa dragged the thing before Grigory and threw it at his feet.  
Rasputin smiled humorlessly at the thing. "Goblin." he said "Last of your kind. How many eons have you been guarding this place?"  
The goblin looked closely at Rasputin and didn't like what he saw. " You're a wizard, or else my eyes have failed me." he said "What do ye want here?"  
" I'm looking for the entrance to the city." Rasputin said "You know where it is.".  
" What do ye want there?" the goblin asked "There's no one there and no treasures to plunder."  
" I'll decide that for myself." Rasputin said. " All you need to do is show me the way in.".  
The goblin shook his head. " I cannot do that." he said. " The secret must be kept."  
" We'll make it worth your while." Ilsa said turning a more pleasant look on the thing.  
That got a response from the creature. " What're you offering?" it asked.  
"What is it you want?" she returned.  
The goblin thought a bit. He couldn't see anything of use these people had that he'd want but the man was definitely a wizard, he could tell that much. " Make me an offer." he said after a moment or two.  
Ilsa reached into her pocket and took out a piece of pure gold. Nazi gold, left over from the war. " How about this? " she asked.  
The goblin looked at it appraisingly. "Shiny." he said, showing some interest.  
"We'll give you two more after you show us the way in." Rasputin said, seeing the things reaction.  
The goblin thought. " Make it three and ye've got a deal." it said.  
Grigory and Ilsa exchanged a glance. "Three it is." Rasputin said.  
The goblin seemed satisfied. " Deal." it said. It took out its ancient whistle and blew on it.  
Presently the ground shook and the stones moved as the stone giant awoke again. It sat up, revealing the entrance to the ancient city.  
"Follow me." the goblin said and led the party off toward the entrance.

Back in the land of the dead, the meeting was over. Having secured Nuada's co operation to save the world, most of the gods returned to their own places leaving the prince alone with the Lady of the Land of the Dead.  
Showing him favor she walked around the palace garden and talked with him.  
For his part, the prince was struck with the beauty of everything at this level. The gardens, the buildings, the sky, everything was like something from a dream. The sun was slipping lower in the sky, daytime would be over soon. He wondered if the night here was as beautiful as the day.  
"You like it here." the lady observed with a smile.  
" Everything is so beautiful here." he responded a slight smile crossing his face. " I've never seen anything like it."  
" Of course not." she replied. " This is our realm, we can make things as perfect as we want. Or change them at will. " To illustrate her point she took a yellow flower in her hand and with a word made it red.  
Amazed Nuada reached out and touched it as if to make sure it was real. " Beautiful." he murmured, smiling. Turning to the lady he added "Why have I not seen my sister here? We died at the same time. "  
"True." the lady said " She is on another level. "  
" And my father?" he asked.  
" He is there as well." She figured she knew where this was going.  
"Can I see them? "  
" Why do you want to see them now?" she asked.  
"I want to talk to them. " he replied. "There are things I want to tell them."  
The lady smiled. "I think they already know what you want to say. " she said.  
Nuada looked down in disappointment. He really did want to talk to them. "Perhaps." he said "But I would like to see them anyway.".  
"There would be little point to that." the lady said. "What has been done has been done. There is little to discuss now. "  
The prince was deeply disappointed but had no choice but to accept it. Perhaps one day he WOULD be able to speak to his father and straighten things out. Apparently that wasn't going to be today. However he did have another question.  
" My sister....." he began " When I go back will she be going with me?"  
" Of course." the lady said. " You are forever bound together. What happens to one happens to the other, that is your fate.".  
"So.....she could kill me again...?" he asked  
"There is that chance." she allowed.  
Nuada digested this. His sister Nuala had killed herself to kill him....if they were going back together he'd have to keep an eye out for that. He wasn't going to let her dictate his fate again, no matter how much he loved her.  
As it got darker the lady led him inside and they toured the palace. There was no other word for such a grand building. It was more beautiful than anything Nuada had seen in life. Then again, this WAS the realm of gods. Such beauty and grandeur was only to be expected. Still it was well beyond anything he'd ever imagined.  
Yet, his mind kept returning to the 'mission' ahead. He'd been given an outline of what he had to do but there were lingering questions in his mind that he wanted answered.  
"What is it you wish to know?" the lady asked, as if reading his mind.  
The prince smiled " Is my mind that clear to you?" he asked.  
"You seem preoccupied." the lady said not unkindly. "I can think of only one thing to cause that state of mind. I could read your mind if I wished, but I prefer not to unless I suspect someone is hiding something from me.".  
Nodding slightly Nuada said " I know why you're allowing me to go back." he began "But there is a lot that is still unclear to me."  
"There is and there will be. " the lady said "You know what it is you have to do. How you achieve this is largely up to you. You will have choices to make, sometimes difficult ones. Your success and your fate will be determined by your choices. "  
"I'm not sure I understand." he said.  
" As in everything, your decisions determine your path. " she said " Make enough of the right decisions you will succeed. In this you have to ensure the enemy is defeated. But you also want to remain among the living and help your people. That will also be determined by your choices. You can succeed at your mission but not meet the requirements to remain among the living. Or you may only be able to stay for a short time. You will be judged on everything you do. Take nothing for granted. Even the smallest act will matter."  
Nuada hadn't paid much attention to where they were going and, now that they stopped, he looked around and was a little surprised to find they were in a private apartment. He wondered if this were for him or was it hers.  
Beside him the lady smiled at his curious expression. " You may spend the night here, if you wish." she said. " Or other accommodations can be found for you."  
'Ah' the prince though to himself, suddenly divining what this place was. "I am honored to be your guest." he said.  
The lady drew closer to him and smiled "It is my honor to be your host." She brushed a stray lock of hair back from his face and said "Are you ready for what the night brings?"  
The prince was curious yet wary but still willing to play along with whatever she had in mind. "I do not fear the night." he said.  
The lady stepped closer to him. "That is a good answer." she said. Leaning over she kissed him warmly.  
Nuada slipped his arms around her and pulled her close, leaning into her kiss. This was getting very interesting, he thought.

In the land of the living the goblin was leading Rasputin & his party into the ancient city. As he did he chattered about how it used to be, how busy, how grand, the beautiful things everywhere. He spoke too about the king, Balor, the royal family, and the wars.  
"What about the Golden Army?" Zinco asked.  
"Ah that!" the goblin said. " It was a mistake to build it." he went on. "Too much death and destruction. Hopefully it's been truly laid to rest now.".  
"What do you mean?" Ilsa asked.  
"Some time ago the Prince returned vowing to use the army to wage war on the human world. " the goblin said "He had the crown, or most of it anyway. Some strangers came to stop him. I don't know if they did but he's not been seen nor heard from since and the army still sleeps. "  
Something in that made Rasputin pause in thought. "These strangers.....what did they look like?"  
"One was a pretty girl, another...I couldn't see much of him...he wore a closed suit. But there was another one, a big one, red, with a tail and a stone hand.. Looked like the very devil he did."  
Ilsa, Rasputin and Kroenen exchanged a look. Only ONE person they knew could fit that description.  
"The child....." she said. "Here...."  
"Indeed." Rasputin agreed. Turning back to the goblin he said "Where did these strangers go?"  
"I'll take ye there if ye like. "  
Rasputin nodded and gestured for the goblin to lead on. which it did.  
It took some time but eventually they reached the same place where the goblin had left Hellboy and his friends. "I can go no farther." it told them. " Up the stairs is where I last knew the prince to be. Good luck in finding what ye seek there. Now if ye'll just give me my payment I'll be on my way."  
Ilsa and Grigory exchanged another look. Rasputin nodded slightly.  
Ilsa took gold pieces from her pocket and dropped them on the ground in front of the creature. " There you are. As promised." she said.  
The goblin reached down and picked them up. "Shiny" it said looking them over happily.  
Ilsa followed Rasputin toward the stairs, Zinco falling in behind them.  
As the goblin looked over the gold pieces he'd earned, Kroenen stepped up behind it, drew his sword spun it once and drove the blade between the goblins head & neck.  
The creature gurgled once or twice and turned dying eyes on the assassin, then dropped the gold pieces and slumped over in its place, dead after thousands of years of existence.  
Kroenen wiped off his sword, returned it to his side, picked up the gold pieces and followed Rasputin and Ilsa up the stairs.

In the land of the dead Nuada was lying in the bed of the goddess, partly wondering what had happened and why. Throwing off the covers he sat up and looked out to the moonlit world outside. There was a lot on his mind. He was thinking over everything that had happened to him there so far and what he'd be facing once he went back to the land of the living.  
It wasn't long before the goddess sat up as well and went to his side. " What troubles you now?" she asked kindly, putting an arm around him.  
"Humans." he said quietly. " I'm supposed to help save them, but they've done us so much harm. So many of my people have died horribly because of them. I cannot reconcile it."  
"I understand." the goddess said. " All life has a cycle. You know this. As with the seasons all things grow, flourish for a time then fade. Some things disappear forever, some are merely reduced and return when conditions are right. Your people have flourished and have faded but they have not vanished......"  
"Nor do I want them to." Nuada said.  
" I know. " the goddess said. " They have faded but not completely disappeared. But my point is, just as your people have faded, so too will humans. Their reign on earth is not forever. There will come a time when they too will fade. Then, perhaps, your people can rise again."  
" But the earth will be ruined by then." Nuada protested.  
"Perhaps, perhaps not. " she replied. "It will be changed but not irredeemably. Remember, the humans have to work hard to keep the forces of the earth at bay. Look here......" she said, taking up a hand mirror and holding it for him to see. "Here is one of their cities. Here it is when it was occupied" the image in the mirror showed a bustling city, people hurrying about their daily business "And here it is now." the image shifted to an abandoned place, buildings crumbling, sidewalks & roadways sprouting trees and bushes, animals roaming freely through the place." In the absence of humans nature retakes what is hers. You and your people are are a part of nature. More than most humans ever will be. They will destroy themselves. When they have it will be for your people to rebuild and help heal the earth. " the image in the mirror again shifted and he saw a green world with blue skies & clear waters, a place where only a shadow of mans influence remained. He liked that image.  
"Will the humans be completely destroyed?" he asked.  
"Some will remain, in some places, but they will not be as numerous as they are now. And they will have destroyed the great cities & machines they now have. "  
"When will this happen?" he asked.  
"That much I cannot say. A year, a dozen years, a hundred, none can say. But one day their world will fall. You must be patient and protect your people until their time comes again. "  
Nuada looked at her, hope returning to his eyes. "You're sure this will happen?" he asked.  
"It is as certain as the sun rising. It is the way of all things."  
He thought about this for a minute or two. It was indeed a hopeful message but there was something else on his mind. " The Lord of the Dead has said he wants to torment me. How? Why?"  
" He wants to visit unending pain and suffering upon you for centuries." she said.  
"Why?" Nuada asked. He'd done bad things in his life but he didn't think they warranted unending pain and torture for centuries for it.  
"You once killed one of his champions. " she said. "Ever since then he has kept track of every bad thing you've done and assigned a torture to it. The more serious the deed the worse the torture. Killing your father was perhaps the worst. Justified or not, it was a terrible deed and he was very pleased that you did it because it allowed him to assign the worst fate to you. You do NOT want to end up in his hands. Nor do I want you to. But if you fail, it will be almost impossible for even I to intervene on your behalf."  
Looking at her Nuada came to a sudden realization. "You were the one who opened the door and took me in....at the cabin....."  
She smiled. " You are starting to understand." she said.  
"But....."  
" He sent the black creatures to tear you apart. He created the gap in the road. He sent the rain and the snow and the cold. I showed you ways out. I convinced Grinlaff to bring you to us. "  
"Why?" he asked.  
She smiled wider. " I like you. " she replied. " I have always admired your courage, your skill and resourcefulness. I have not always liked what you did, but to me your good deeds outweighed the bad. You have always kept the faith and honored the gods, as in the old days.. That did not go unnoticed. But come. Rest now. Soon you will be going back. You will need your strength for what you will be facing." she put the mirror aside and invited him to rejoin her in bed.  
"Will you help me if I need it?" he asked.  
The goddess paused. " There is very little I can do among the living. Our powers have diminished so much that we are merely shadows of what we were. You will have to rely upon your own resources in this. "  
" You will not help?"  
"I did not say that. I said you must rely upon yourself rather than help from myself or the other gods. Many of them do not favor you and others want to see you fail even though it means the destruction of everything. If I am allowed to help you, you will not know it and it will only be in the time of greatest need. You will not see or hear me or know of my presence. Now.....you need to rest. Time is wasting."  
"I thought time has no meaning here......?"  
"For us, no. For you it is passing quickly. Events on earth are falling into place. If you are to do your job you must be in the right place at the right time. Come."  
Turning Nuada moved back into the bed and into her welcoming arms again.

At Bethmoora Rasputin and his companions were heading for the stairs that the goblin told them would lead to where the prince had last been seen. On either side of the aisle were a row of huge golden egg-shaped objects. They stopped to wonder at them.  
"What are they?" Ilsa asked, running a hand over one of the objects.  
Rasputin was doing the same as were Zinco & Kroenen. "These are the soldiers." Rasputin said. "The Golden Army."  
" I thought they were giants." Zinco said, looking more closely at the one before him.  
"They must open somehow." Ilsa speculated.  
"Like a Faberge egg." Rasputin said, admiring the thing. " It opens to reveal the treasure inside. "  
Ilsa looked around, seeing dozens more wherever she looked. " There are hundreds of them...." she said.  
"Seventy times seventy." Rasputin said "Four thousand nine hundred. Unstoppable, indestructible, giant soldiers...."  
"With these under our command no one will be able to stand in our way." Ilsa said with a smile.  
"Indeed." Rasputin agreed.  
"We must still get the crown to control it." Zinco said.  
"Or get the prince to join us." Rasputin mused.  
" Do you think we can do that?" Ilsa asked.  
" If he hates mankind as much as the goblin said, it should be no problem to convince him." Rasputin said.  
"If not...?" Ilsa asked.  
"If not we will take the crown from him."  
" Legend says that can only be done in a trial by combat." Zinco said.  
Rasputin turned to him with a smile." That should be no contest." he said looking at Kroenen.  
The assassin nodded.  
" Come let us see if we can find the prince." Rasputin said. Turning he led the others to the stairs.

In the land of the dead the lady was awake again. Beside her Nuada lay sleeping soundly. He didn't stir as she sat up.  
"Well....you've had your fun. " came a deep male voice " Are you ready to let him go?" the Lord asked entering the room.  
The lady looked at the sleeping prince fondly and smiled. "It's almost a shame to send him back." she said.  
"Indeed." the lord said. " I was looking forward to breaking him with my own hand. The screams alone would be music to my ears."  
The lady scowled. "You're cruel." she said sharply. "There are those who deserve such treatment. He does not."  
" You are too fond of him." the lord said. " No matter. It's time for him to go. " He extended a hand to her.  
The Lady looked from him to Nuada who shifted in his sleep. Leaning over she placed her hand over his heart and said some words in a strange language. She kissed him on the cheek then took the lords hand and stood up. Together they left the room, leaving the prince where he was.

In the land of the living Rasputin and his companions reached the room where Hellboy and Nuada had had their final fight. They looked around at more of the golden eggs that were the dreaded soldiers. They walked around the room as well, looking over everything. It was an amazing sight.  
Ilsa picked up Nuada's lance, discarded by Hellboy at the end of the fight. " The Silver Lance...." she said a slight smile on her face.  
"The prince is here....or was." Zinco said.  
" I do not think he would leave such a prize lying on the floor if he were alive." Ilsa said.  
"You're right." Rasputin responded, his eye catching something on the floor across the room. "He would not.". Crossing the room he went to the pile of dust and stone that were what was left of the princes body. He crouched by it.  
The others joined him in short order.  
" A statue?" Zinco asked.  
" No." Rasputin said. " This is what is left of our prince."  
The others crouched to get a closer look.  
"But how.....?" Ilsa asked.  
"Stone." Rasputin said " The Royal Family, whoever wears the Crown, it is their fate to turn to stone when they die. "  
"So he's dead.....and the crown is gone....?" Zinco asked.  
" We will find out." Rasputin said. He raised his hand to his mouth said a word and blew into it. A ball of energy formed in his hand, reaching down he released it into the pile of stone dust.  
The energy spread through the pile and it began to swirl, rearranging the pieces, forming bigger pieces. As they watched the pieces became bigger and bigger, arms were formed, and legs, with minutes a body was lying on the floor before them. As the energy receded, it faded into the chest and head. With a jerk the body began to breathe.  
Prince Nuada was back in the world of the living.


	2. The  Adventure Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now back in the land of the living & having no memory of what happened in the afterlife, Nuada begins his new adventure.

Rasputin and his companions watched the princes body as it returned to life.  
"Are you sure this will work Grigory?" Ilsa asked.  
"It will." Rasputin said "And when he and the army are in my power nothing will be able to stand in our way."  
Slowly the prince stirred. Slowly he pushed himself up from the floor a few inches and twisted to see who was behind him. He blinked a few times as if trying to focus. His brain was foggy and while he recognized his surroundings, mostly, he was having trouble making sense of things. "Who are you?" he asked.  
"A friend" Rasputin replied with a smile. "Hail Prince Nuada Silverlance." he added, bowing his head respectfully. Having been part of the czars court he knew how royalty expected to be addressed. He could play the game.....for now.  
Beside him Ilsa, Zinco and Kroenen also bowed their heads, following Rasputins lead.  
Nuada gave them a slight nod in return. Whoever these people were they knew him and were showing respect. Still he was wary. "Where do you come from?" he asked.  
" We come from the surface world." Rasputin went on. " We have come to restore you to your rightful place."  
Nuada was very suspicious. As his eyesight cleared and he looked over these people, he could see they were not humans of the ordinary type. Human they appeared but beneath the surface there was more going on. The one speaking had powers beyond any human he'd met in a long time. He sensed something not quite right was going on but what and what he could do about it he didn't know.  
"What do you mean?" he asked. His body was still returning to life, he was weak. He knew he couldn't defend himself if he had to. Words were his only weapon right now.  
"You are a prince, a king." Grigory said. " Thrown from your rightful place by an accident of fate. We want to restore you to your throne, where you belong and help you realize your dream of a world without men."  
The words were sweet enough to his ears, much like ones of the fawning human courtiers he'd seen at his fathers court trying to curry favor. He didn't trust them then and didn't trust them now. "You're human." he replied. "You wish to destroy your own kind?"  
Rasputin smiled at the princes perception. "Like you I want to turn the clock back to a better time. An earlier time. A time before the rise of men and the evils they wrought. I want to see the buildings and machines brought down and the fields and forests return, as it used to be."  
The prince was feeling stronger, the fog in his brain clearing, his legs felt like they could hold him up now, if he could get to his feet that is.  
As if sensing this Rasputin held out a hand to him and said " Permit me your Highness...."  
Nuada looked at the hand for a moment, hesitating, then decided that he'd stand a better chance of defending himself on his feet than sitting on the floor. A rather undignified position for a prince anyway. Reaching out he took the hand and allowed Rasputin to help him up.  
As soon as his hand gripped the Russians images flashed through his mind; fire, destruction, people running in terror, things with tentacles in the sky, noxious fumes and smoke everywhere, all life being burned away....it was frightening, even to him.  
Once on his feet he let go the hand and gave his head a shake to try and clear the images he'd seen, the looked at Rasputin.  
"Is that better your highness?" the Russian asked with a smile.  
"Yes' Nuada replied quietly. He realized that this man was evil and he needed to get away from him but there was no strength for it.  
"What do you want of me?" he asked. He had to try and buy some time for his body to regain its strength to fight....or flee. Or both.  
"Your help" Rasputin replied.  
"In what?" Nuada asked.  
"We have many things in common." Rasputin responded. "We both despise the world as it is, we both despise what mankind has done to it. We want to punish them for their deeds and return the earth to the way it was, erase what has been done and restore it to its previous form. That is what I want....... and what you want, is it not?"  
"Perhaps....." Nuada said "Go on."  
Rasputin smiled. The prince wasn't going to be easy to win over. But to get the Golden Army it would be worth it. "We also have a common enemy, above mankind."  
"And who is that?"  
"Anung un Rama. The one men call Hellboy."  
Nuada started a bit at that name. How could he forget the red demon? Indeed he WAS an enemy. He'd taken the crown and ruined his plans. But the army was still here.......so what had happened? Where was the crown now?  
Seeing the princes reaction Rasputin nodded. "I know he was here. I too have suffered at his hands. My own plans were ruined by him. It is his destiny to bring about the end of the world and help us end the reign of mankind. He refuses to see it. Together you and I can change his mind. And after he's helped us achieve our goal, then we will make him pay for what he's done to us."  
All this sounded good enough to Nuada but he couldn't shake the images of destruction in his head. "What do you want of me?" he asked again, a bit more willing to listen and ignore the foreboding in his heart.  
"An alliance. A partnership with you and your army" Rasputin replied. "With my powers and your army we can conquer the world, bring mankind to its knees and usher in a new age, a new Eden. "  
Now it was out. Nuada realized at once why his heart misgave him. Anger began to rise inside him "And once we do, who will rule it?" he asked. "You? And what of me and MY people? Vassals, servants in your 'New Eden'?" His tone had changed from cautious to contemptuous. Throughout his life he'd seen men make deals like this before. Between each other, between his people and theirs...two forces join together to defeat a third and once the object was won, one side would turn on the other and destroy them leaving only one to rule. " I will not give up control of my army to you or allow my people to be trampled under anyone's feet."  
"There will be enough room for us all....." Rasputin said.  
"Lies!" Nuada spat back. His strength and wits returning quickly now. " I have lived a thousand generations of mankind. I will not be taken for a fool And I will not have my army used against us."  
"I brought you back from the dead." Rasputin pointed out, his voice rising as well "I can return you to it as easily."  
"I fear neither you nor death." Nuada snapped defiantly. "Returning me to the dead will not be as easy as you think."  
"Where is the Crown?" Rasputin demanded angrily, dropping his pleasant facade.  
" Where you cannot reach it." Nuada replied. He had no idea where the crown was but Hellboy had it last and whatever happened to it it wasn't available to either of them at the moment.  
"If he does not have the crown he is of no use to us." Ilsa said, speaking up.  
Grigory eyed the prince with pent up fury. The prince glared back. For long minutes their eyes locked, as if a battle of wills was going on and neither one was backing down.  
For his part Nuada had seen and heard enough. He expected them to move against him soon, but he felt ready; his strength recovered enough for a fight.

At last Rasputin came to a conclusion. He broke eye contact with the prince and stepped back. Looking at Kroenen he said "Kill him."  
With that Nuada sprang into action. He'd spotted his lance in Ilsa's hand. He pounced at her snatching the weapon from her hand and somersaulting away.  
Kroenen drew his own swords and leaped after the prince.  
Once he felt he was in a better position Nuada turned to face his foe. Kroenen had two swords with a side handle. He'd seen weapons like those before among human police officers. An interesting adaptation but he wasn't sure how effective it would be.  
Kroenen attacked with fury. Nuada defended himself well but was a bit dismayed to find his reaction time wasn't quite what it should be. It was as if the signals from his brain were taking a half second too long to reach his limbs. He also noticed that Kroenen was very very agile.  
As he fought he also became aware of his sisters presence. She was here too and wondering what was going on. Silently he told her to hide and stay hidden. The last thing he needed was for these people to find her and use her against him.  
Kroenen was pressing his attack and Nuada was forced to retreat. He was finding he really wasn't up for this fight. His body just wasn't reacting as fast as he needed it to. Yet for the moment he had no choice but to fight until he could come up with a way to escape. Again he reached out to his sister telling her where he needed her to go and that he'd meet her there as soon as he could. As soon as he got her response he felt free to go on the attack.  
Using the strength he had he went on the offensive and managed to drive Kroenen back across the room a ways until, the assassin slipped to the ground and kicked his feet from under him.  
Nuada saw the move coming but wasn't quite able to leap out of the way in time. He hit the ground hard, but was able to roll out of the way of Kroenens swords as they tried to pin him down. Scrambling to his feet he turned just in time to block a shot, then ducked under a second.  
On the sidelines Rasputin, Zinco and Ilsa watched fairly dispassionately.  
"He's very good." Ilsa noted.  
"He is." Rasputin agreed. " But not quite good enough." he added with a smile as he saw Kroenen score a solid hit on the prince.  
Nuada bent double, arm going to his stomach where the assassin had slashed him.  
In that pause Kroenen swung again gashing a leg, causing the prince to fall to the ground. As he moved in for the kill, Nuada kicked out with his uninjured leg and brought the assassin down to the ground beside him. Twisting around he brought an elbow down hard on the middle of his opponents body only to recoil in pain as his elbow hit metal. What kind of creature was this?  
Kroenen gave a hoarse metallic laugh and sprang back to his feet, aiming to finish the elf once and for all. Nuada again rolled out of the way and regained his feet. Ignoring the pain of his injuries he stood tall and knocked the assassin back with the butt of his lance before making a retreat.  
He headed for the entrance to the hall, pausing there to throw a parting word at the Russian. "You will not find what you're looking for here and we will never surrender the earth to you. If it's war you want, we'll give it to you. This is not the end. "  
Kroenen started his way but the elf disappeared and Rasputin said "Let him go. He is of no consequence.. He will suffer the fate of the rest when the Master returns. Come, let us go.".  
Turning he started back toward the entrance, followed by the others.  
Elsewhere, deep in the back corridors of the hall Nuada found his sister waiting where he'd told her to. Part of him was angry with her for killing him, but that was not something to discuss now. Now they had to bind their wounds and escape this place. He had no idea if these people would try and search the hall for them or not. In any case they could not stay here.  
"Sister....." he began, seeing her, sitting on the floor bleeding as he was, and confused as to what was happening.  
"Brother...." she responded, reaching for him . All animosity forgotten at the moment as he helped her up and embraced her for a moment before leading her to another room.  
There he stripped off his finery and began to bind their wounds. The adrenaline of battle still coursing through him reduced the pain of his injuries to a mere stinging sensation like being stung by a thousand bees. Eventually he would begin to hurt...badly, making travel difficult at best. They had to put as much distance as they could between themselves and this place before that happened.  
"We have to get out of here."he said, and looked her over, pained to see the blood staining her beautiful gown.  
"Where will we go?" she asked.  
" Uncle has a place not far from here, remember? We'll be able to get help there."  
"Who were those people?" she asked as he wrapped a bandage around her leg.  
"Humans." he said "At least three of them were. The other I'm not so sure. One of them is a wizard, of that I'm sure. He has powers beyond most humans. He was the one who brought us back."  
"What did they want?"  
"They're evil." Nuada replied. "They wanted to use the Golden Army to take over the world. They thought I had the Crown." As he worked he realized it was a good thing it wasn't here and he was glad he didn't have it.  
After bandaging her wounds...except the stomach wound. Her wide belt was enough to hold that together and would be a better bandage than he could devise for the time being.....he bandaged his own wounds and put on his black clothes again. Going out in the world again required it. Dark clothes made it easier to hide than light, blood stained ones.  
As for Nuala she was confused and scared. Having been abruptly brought back to life, without understanding what was going on, or who was involved she'd found her brother fighting and herself cut and bleeding because of it. She of course knew why she was hurt but what was being fought over and who else was involved she didn't know. She tried to sense if Abraham was there, but got nothing in return. He wasn't here. That was good because it meant he was safe somewhere away from here. Where he was she didn't know but as long as he was safe it didn't matter.  
Finishing bandaging his own wounds and dressing Nuada looked her over with concern. This was not going to be an easy journey but they had no choice. "Can you walk?" he asked her.  
She considered for a moment then nodded.  
Nodding in response, he held out a hand to her "Come' he said, helping her to her feet. " We must hurry while we still have the strength to move."  
Nuala looked at him closely, recalling what had brought them there and wondering if madness still guided him but all she saw in his expression was concern and determination. There was some anger but it was directed at the people he'd been fighting rather than at the world in general. He was anxious to get away from this place as quickly as possible and he was anxious to protect her.  
Together they headed off down the corridor, limping, using his lance as a walking stick with one hand, supporting her with the other.

At a military airbase in Romania, the cargo plane carrying Hellboy and his equipment landed. As the cargo hatch opened the demon walked out and paused on the tarmac to take a look around. It was dark, the night air was cool and a bit damp & foggy. Not exactly the conditions he wanted to go vampire hunting in. He'd done it before but that didn't mean he liked it.  
Before he could think or do another thing a man in along coat approached him "Mr Hellboy....welcome" he said in heavily accented English.  
HB looked him over for a second. Government official no doubt. Better make nice. " Hi." he said " Call me Red, everyone does."  
The man looked him over and nodded. "We have quarters prepared for you for tonight. In the morning there will be a briefing and we will take you to the region where the worst trouble is. I hope that is acceptable...?"  
"Yeah sure." HB said. "Can I get something to eat?"  
"Of course. Right this way..." The man started off toward one of the many buildings on the base.  
Before following HB looked over his shoulder at soldiers unloading his gear "Be careful with that stuff." he said, the followed the man to the building.  
Within minutes piles of food were on a table before him. The mess hall was empty except for the cooks and a couple of men cleaning up. They kept their distance from the demon and muttered quietly among themselves.  
"So when did the trouble start?" Hellboy asked his companion as he ate with enthusiasm.  
"Well...as you know, we've always had.......issues .....with vampires....."  
"Yeah." HB said "I've been here before dealing with them."  
"Indeed that's why we called upon you to help us now." the man said. "When we learned you were no longer with BPRD we knew we had to find you. Your expertise in this cannot be matched by anyone else."  
The demon grunted as he took a drink from the very large cup placed by his plate.  
"But the trouble started about six weeks ago. Local authorities began getting reports about farm animals being found bloodless in the fields. That spread to people in villages waking up with bite marks on their necks. "  
"How many have disappeared so far?" Hellboy asked.  
"About twenty to twenty five. We're not sure exactly. "  
That figured, HB thought. People in rural villages, farmers farther out, no one knew exactly how many people lived in these places.  
"What else?" he asked.  
"I'm sorry but that's about all I can tell you now. There will be more in the briefing tomorrow morning. " the man said.  
Hellboy grunted again. That figured too.  
When he finished eating his contact led him to a barracks nearby. "We have set aside this building for your use for now. Everything you need is here. You will be able to eat in the mess hall whenever you like. It will remain open for you. "  
Looking around Hellboy was unimpressed. It was a typical barracks....like so many he'd been in during his life. Kinda nice to have one all to himself though. All his stuff was there. Looked like they'd taken good care of it.  
"What time is the briefing?" he asked.  
"Nine am." the man said "Or 0900 hours, if you prefer...."  
The demon grunted again. The attempt at humor was weak and he wasn't in the mood for it. "Nine am, got it."  
"Is there anything else you need tonight?"  
"Nah. I'm good."  
"Good night then." the man said with a nod and left the demon to himself.  
Hellboy took another look around the room and undressed as he did. Sitting on the oversized bed he took out his phone. He wanted to talk to Liz. He felt bad about leaving her the way he did and wanted to see if she was feeling ok. Activating the phone he looked at the screen. "No service" it said. Somehow that figured too. Military base, they wanted to keep communications under control.  
Feeling a little more depressed, he put the phone aside and flopped back on the bed eventually drifting off to sleep.

Back in the the Irish countryside a car was driving up to an old castle. The car made its way slowly across a narrow stone bridge that spanned what had once been a moat, now long filled in. Pulling into the courtyard the occupants got out and looked around.  
The castle was old, very old. Moss and lichen covered the rocks that made up the walls. Parts of the walls had crumbled and collapsed, some of which had recently been rebuilt. There were grass and weeds growing between the cobblestones of the courtyard and places where the ground had sunk were now pools of water. All the decorative stonework was long gone; destroyed by enemies, looted by locals or treasure hunters or merely fallen victim to the vicissitudes of time and weather. Still, it was a long way from the nearest farm or village making it the perfect place for them to work undisturbed.  
"This is the castle I obtained for us." Zinco said a bit proudly. " It was built in the 1100s, modified in the 1400s and abandoned in the 1700s. It was used during WWII as a research facility for the British Government, working on biological warfare to help them win the war. When the war was over it was a training facility for the army until....it's said....the ghosts drove them out." he laughed a bit as this last. " There is a ley line that runs through the castle. and it was built over a natural spring. The original builders wanted to be assured of a water supply in case of a siege. Or so local legend goes." Zinco paused and added "The old laboratory is still mostly intact and much of it is usable. There is an old electrical generator but its use is limited. We will be able to power the lab with it but the rest of the castle will have to be lit......the 'old fashioned' way."  
Grigory looked around the courtyard. Absently he raised one hand a bit and held it parallel to the floor. "This place is very alive." he said. Next he looked up to the ancient walls and parapets. "You've done well Zinco. This will be most suitable for our needs."  
"There is one thing my lord." Zinco began a bit hesitantly. " You said you needed a warm dark place for your creature. I'm afraid this place is too cold for it. There is water yes but it will not be possible to do what you want with it here." Zinco said..  
Rasputin scowled a bit. Sammael was his 'terror dog', a big part of his plan to take over the earth. But no matter. If the conditions were not right for it, he would have to wait until they could create the right conditions. A delay, nothing more. "No matter". he said " We will have other creatures to help us. What else have you done here?"  
Zinco sighed inwardly in relief at this. "This way my lord." he said "I have made many modifications and begun work on the laboratory. Let me show you....." he said and led the party into the building.

A day or two later, at the country house, Abe was up early for his morning swim. He was particularly fond of this port of living here; swimming in fresh water streams and rivers in the area. Careful to avoid humans as much as he could, he was usually up at the crack of dawn, before all but the most intrepid country dwellers arose. It was convenient too that there was a waterway running by the house.  
He quietly crept out of the house and walked the hundred of so yards to the water. He waded in, walked upstream a bit to a deeper pool then slipped under the surface.  
For a few moments he simply rolled about enjoying the feel of the water then he began to swim upstream.  
He hadn't gone very far when he noticed something different about the water this morning. It smelled....or perhaps tasted....different. Unable to pinpoint exactly what it was he decided to swim farther upstream to investigate.  
As he went he would pause from time to time to assess what he was detecting. Whatever it was was getting stronger the farther upstream he went so he was definitely heading in the right direction. He kept going.  
As he drew closer to the source he realized what it was he was tasting; blood. Something was injured and bleeding in the water. With that realization he swam faster trying to reach whatever it was and see if he could help.  
Eventually he rounded a bend and saw a pair of boots in the water, barely touching the river bed. This was the source of the blood. He swam up and popped his head above the surface. Obscured by bushes he could see someone lying half on the bank and half in the water.  
He climbed out and went to see who it could be and what might have happened. Going up he pulled the brush aside and gasped in astonishment at what he saw. "Prince Nuada!" he exclaimed in a stunned whisper. Seeing the prince there he knew that his sister Nuala must be nearby and immediately began a desperate search for her.  
It only took moments for him to find her, farther up the bank Nuala was lying unconscious, also partly hidden by brush. He dropped to his knees at her side and gently touched her. She was alive but not doing well. He noticed the blood on her gown and realized that Nuada must also be injured, thus the blood in the water. But...how had they come here? How did they return to life? They'd both died and turned to stone....how could this possibly happen?  
Looking at the pair he realized that they must have been crossing the river, Nuala getting out, perhaps with her brothers help, but he had weakened enough that he was unable to pull himself out. No matter how it happened, Abe knew he had to get them both back to the house or they'd die...again.  
Going to Nuada he managed to draw the prince up onto the bank and laid him on the grass alongside his sister.  
As he did Nuada's eyes opened. He stared at Abe for a few moments with vague recognition. "You........." he murmured then slipped back into unconsciousness.  
In touching the prince Abe was able to get some impressions about what had happened but they were rather confused. Someone had brought them back to life, then tried to kill them again. Odd to say the least. They had managed to escape and make their way here, but where were they going? What were they running from?  
All questions for later. Now Abe had to find a way to get them back to the house as soon as possible....but how?

Liz was in the kitchen herb garden weeding the plants. At least that's what she hoped she was doing. Some things looked more like weeds than the weeds did but she was getting better at recognizing what needed to stay and what had to go. A couple of cats had accompanies her & were lounging on the warm stones. As ever she was thinking. There wasn't much else for her to do but think right now. Abe should be back from his morning swim soon. He certainly was taking his time at it today. Johann was off at a paranormal conference so even he wasn't around. She'd hoped to get a call from Hellboy but all she got was a short message saying "We're heading out. I don't know how long we'll be gone. I'll call when I can.". Not quite enough but at least he didn't call her 'Babe'. She hated that.  
She was startled out of her thoughts by a voice calling her.  
"Liz! Liz! I need your help!"  
Looking around she saw Abe hurrying up from around the trees. She abandoned her gardening and ran to see what had agitated him so.  
"What? What is it?" she asked anxiously  
"I found something while I was swimming....." Abe said and looked over his shoulder to see a horse and cart approaching. He waved the driver up to the house.  
Wondering what it was he'd found this time Liz watched the cart pull up to the house and followed Abe around to the back to see for herself. Peering into the straw bed her jaw dropped at what she saw. "What.......? How....?" she asked "But.....they were DEAD....we saw it. They turned to stone."  
"I know I know I don't understand it either....but I found them on the riverbank." Abe said "They're badly hurt we need to get them inside."  
Liz was of two minds on this.....on the one hand she liked Nuala and was all for saving HER but Nuada was bad news. She didn't want him anywhere near her or the house. He could drop dead for all she cared.....but she knew too that they were linked and she couldn't pick which one she wanted to save. With a rather resigned sigh she shook her head, shrugged and said " OK.........lets get them inside.  
The farmer Abe had drafted to help him was a neighbor of druidic heritage who they bought milk, eggs, cheese and produce from so he wasn't going to ask too many awkward questions. He helped Abe and Liz bring the elves inside.  
"Let's put him on the table. " Abe said "He was the one who was hurt I'll need to take care of him first."  
The wooden table by the kitchen was cleared quickly. Liz put a clean sheet on it in place of a tablecloth and they laid the prince on it.  
"I wish I had a proper place to treat them." Abe fussed.  
" You really think a hospital would take either of them?" Liz asked pointedly.  
"No but I really wish we didn't have to do this HERE.."  
"It doesn't look like we have a choice." she replied, getting the first aid kit which was very elaborate. One of the things Abe and Johann had made sure of was that they had as much equipment as they could get since there was no medical facility that'd be able to treat either Hellboy or Abe properly so in this they were very much on their own.  
That didn't mean there weren't limitations however and Abe was painfully aware of what those were at the moment.  
In short order they stripped the princes clothes off and Abe began assessing his injuries and treating them.  
Still dubious Liz acted as his nurse and helped. "What do you think happened?" she asked as Abe began flushing the wounds.  
"I don't really know. " he replied. "But what little I could get from contact with the prince is shortly after being returned to life he was attacked. "  
" By whom?"  
"I don't know." Abe repeated " I wasn't able to get that far. Maybe later I can look into it more. One thing is for sure.....whoever he was fighting with was very good....or the prince did very badly."  
"Or both." Liz quipped.  
"Well....we know what a formidable fighter he is...or was last time we met him....but I imagine coming back from the dead would make ones coordination a bit......off. In a fight that would make for critical mistakes that would leave him vulnerable. I'm more concerned with who could have brought them back to life."  
"Why?"  
"Because whoever it is must have a great deal of power. Resurrecting the dead is not an easy thing to do. In any case, someone that powerful could be a threat and it follows that we might have to deal with them eventually."  
Liz balked at this. "We quit the bureau. We don't have to deal with ANYthing any more."  
"We may be the ONLY ones who can deal with it."Abe pointed out. "Whether we're with the bureau or not we have abilities and experience no one else has. In the end they may have no choice but to ask us to get involved, and we may have no choice but to respond."  
Liz didn't like the sound of that but she had to admit he had a point.  
Over the next hour or so Abe flushed, knitted and stitched Nuada's wounds. The stomach wound was the worst. Kroenens blade had cut deep and there were a lot of muscles and organs to put back together. Not knowing what elf physiology was and how it differed from humans he had to guess at some things along the way and hope it was right. He also hoped he'd flushed all the river water out. The princes own bandaging and his clothes kept it relatively clean but he'd been in the river long enough that all his wounds had gotten wet and it only stood to reason that whatever was in the water had gotten into the wounds. He also hoped that as he fixed Nuadas problems that it would also fix Nuala's and whatever treatment she'd need would be relatively minor.  
He fixed the surface injuries with advanced adhesives to minimize scarring. He didn't want his princess to be covered with scars even if her brother was.  
When he was done with the prince, he bound the wounds again and they brought him to an upstairs guest room.  
Going next to Nuala they repeated the procedure. Abe was glad to see that, as he'd hoped, her treatment wasn't as involved as her brothers. She was transferred to another guest room upstairs when he was done.  
As they cleaned up Liz was still unsure about the wisdom of all this."Are you sure it's a good idea helping him like this? I mean.....you know how crazy he was."  
"I know." Abe said "But if he dies SHE dies and I can't let that happen again. Not when I can help. Besides, people have been known to change."  
"People can change, I don't know about HIM." Liz said  
"Well we'll see."Abe shrugged. "With his injuries he won't be able to go anywhere or hurt anyone for quite some time. Perhaps that will be enough time to get him to change his mind. We can hope."  
Liz picked up the elves clothes and put them in a basket to be washed. "You know its weird." she said "He's all cut up but his clothes aren't. And these are black, the clothes he died in were light colored. Are you sure he was the one fighting?"  
"Her clothes aren't cut up either. He must have changed his clothes before escaping with her.  
"Why?"  
"I'm not sure. Perhaps for camouflage. We'll have to ask him when he wakes up."  
After picking up the clothes Liz picked up the now shortened lance. "What do you want to do with this?" she asked.  
"Put it away for now."  
"Don't you want to hold it?"  
"Later perhaps." Abe said "I want to sit with Nuala right now."  
Liz nodded sympathetically. Abe had been devastated when Nuala had died so it was only to be expected he would now want to spend his time with her. She understood that. Taking the lance she put it in the safe in the study. The last place she wanted it was anywhere near its owner, even if he was incapacitated at the moment.

Abe went into the room where they'd put Nuala an discretely looked over her wounds again. He decided everything looked good. He added some adhesive to a couple of places he thought needed it to make sure the edges stayed closed.  
When he was done he took her hand and tried to pour all his love into her and perhaps find out what had happened.  
What he got back was confusing. First he got distant recognition and joy at his contact. But as for what had happened that was more confusing. After realizing she'd returned to life, she heard voices.....mens voices, and her brothers voice. At first they sounded calm, but then grew more emotional then angry. She'd moved away from where she'd been further into the background where she'd be out of sight. Then fighting began, Nuada telling her to hide, then to go to another part of the building where he'd join her. Abe sensed that the prince was being hard pressed in the fight and couldn't allow his attention to be diverted.  
He also picked up what had happened after the fight.....Nuada's attention to her, tending their wounds and changing his clothes before leading her away across the landscape toward........where? The prince definitely had a destination in mind but they simply weren't able to reach it.  
He also saw how they ended up where he found them......both weakening, they managed to cross the river. Nuada helping her onto the riverbank. She'd crawled away and collapsed a few yards away in the bushes. The prince, unable to join her, collapsed where he was.  
Abe thanked her for the information and assured her he would be there and take care of her for as long as they were both alive. He bade her rest and recover, promising she was safe here. With that he let go her hand, stroking it once or twice affectionately, before leaving the room.

In the other room Nuada's dreams were darker and more foreboding. He saw the world in flames, everything around him dying, choking on toxic smoke and gasses. It was frightening even to him. Nothing would survive this disaster. He stirred restlessly in his unconsciousness until the pain from his injuries intruded and the images faded away. Then he slipped into a deeper more healing state.

In Romania Hellboy was setting up shop in an abandoned building outside a small town near the center of the troubles. The government had taken over the building for this operation, giving HB and his helpers something of a command post from which to work.  
With him were about a dozen army soldiers, hand picked for this detail, along with a sergeant, a lieutenant & his liaison. They'd all been briefed and, at HB's direction, special equipment was prepared for them....things they would need to fight vampires with.  
HB's gear had also been trucked up. As always he supervised its unloading and care. Before coming up he'd tried calling the house but again just got the voicemail. After three or four times he left a message. Nothing much, just a few words to let her know what he was doing and promising to call. He hoped that would be enough for her for now.  
The door opened and the liaison came in looking for him "Sir!" he called "We've spoken to the local constable about the.....problems in the area. He has gotten reports that two local girls are missing."  
"Missing? When?" the demon replied.  
"In the past few days. " the liaison said. " It seems they went out to pick mushrooms and never returned. "  
"Hmm." HB grunted. " Where did they go?"  
"Shall I find out?"  
HB was getting a little irritated with this guy. Apparently no one told him how he worked. "Just take me there." he said. "I want to see it for myself."  
Within the hour Hellboy, a rather nervous local constable and the liaison were at the edge of the forest outside of town.  
The constable spoke to the officer who translated for the demon.  
"He says that the parents of the girls came to him two days ago and reported their daughters missing. They had gone out to gather mushrooms and never returned. They were seen entering the forest here. "  
"How old were the girls?" HB asked  
There was an exchange of Romanian. "Fifteen and seventeen." came the reply.  
The demon grunted again. "Just the right age" he muttered to himself. "OK let me go see what I can find." he told the others.  
"But sir....are you sure you should go alone?" the officer asked anxiously.  
"Hey....this is what you hired me to do right? " HB replied "Find out what's going on? "  
"Well...yes....but we brought you here to fight vampires....."  
" You think they're NOT involved in this? " HB asked a bit pointedly  
"I don't know....."  
"Yeah? Well I do." HB responded. " They're starting to spread. This is what they do. They get a foothold somewhere, get comfy then they start to take over other places. Lemme go in & see what I can find. "  
"But....don't you want help? Back up? How do we reach you?" the officer sputtered.  
" You don't. " HB replied and headed into the woods.  
"But but.........sir!" the man called helplessly at the demons back as he disappeared into the trees.

At Rasputins castle Rasputin was touring Zinco's lab and examining his work.  
"Here my lord are a few of the soldiers I've made so far for the Ragnar Rok Army." Zinco said showing half a dozen nearly complete half-human half machine creations. They bore more than a slight resemblance to Kroenen. "They still need some pieces of armor and a little adjusting before we activate them but they are essentially whole."  
Rasputin went up to one of the soldiers and ran a hand across its cheek and down to its naked chest. A cold smile appeared on his face. "Where are you getting the bodies?" he asked.  
"There is a a funeral home that is charged with disposing of unclaimed bodies and those too poor to afford burial. We've made an arrangement with them to provide us with whatever we want....for a modest price."  
Rasputin smiled wider "He gets paid by the government and by you. Clever way to make a fortune. " he said "Of course you've given him a good story.....?"  
"I told him we are using the bodies for scientific experimentation trying to find new cures for disease."  
Rasputin and Ilsa smiled. " Gullibility.....humanity's greatest weakness. It will lead them to ruin sooner than they expect. Well done Zinco. What else have you done?"  
The billionaire showed the Russian around the rest of the lab and explained what was going on. There were glass beakers with developing creatures inside, larger ones holding others. "There is a great deal more work to do yet." he said at the end of the tour.  
"Indeed." Rasputin said "There is time. What is important is making sure everything is ready in time for the eclipse. That is when the child will open the lock and release the Master. That is when mans reign on earth will end.".  
"All will be ready on time my lord." Zinco assured him. 

At the house Abe was up early to check on his charges. He went to Nuala first, as one might expect. He paused at the door to her room, again awed by her beauty. He thought she looked like a fairy tale princess....like Sleeping Beauty or something like that.  
Going in he checked her vital signs and found them as steady as one could expect. The wounds were beginning to heal already, a welcome sign to say the least. Now on to the prince.  
Going in Abe went right to the princes bedside. He too was handsome in his own way, scar on his face notwithstanding. His face held something of an ageless quality which, Abe reminded himself, wasn't far from true. He knew the two were very old, but not ageless. He wondered at the things they must have seen in their lives, the changes, the history. What stories they could tell! He hoped to be able to find out once they recovered. If they recovered that is. Abe reminded himself that they were both in critical condition, having suffered serious blood loss. Recovery was by no means assured just yet.  
He checked Nuada and found him in stable condition. His body working hard to heal itself.  
Satisfied with that Abe left and went downstairs to go for a swim.  
In the kitchen he found Liz making breakfast for herself. She looked up when he entered the room. "How are they?" she asked.  
"As well as can be expected so far." Abe replied. "With the amount of blood they've lost it could be some time before they regain consciousness. "  
"Do you think we should call Johann?" Liz asked.  
Abe gave that some thought. Johann Krauss was not at the house at the moment. He was attending a paranormal conference in London and wasn't expected home for several days. " I don't really think so. He'll be back in a few days, why?"  
"Well....don't you think he should know?" she asked  
"It isn't really an emergency...."  
"I know but...."  
"Are you uncomfortable having Nuada in the house?" Abe asked. "I wouldn't be that concerned. Even if he IS still a homicidal maniac he's in no condition to hurt anyone and won't be for some time."  
"Unless elves heal faster than humans." she pointed out.  
"Possible." he allowed "But even then I doubt he'll be ambulatory before Johann comes home."  
"I don't know....." Liz said  
"Liz...what's bothering you?" Abe asked with concern. "You've been restless for days now. Even before Red left...."  
" I don't know." She said again "Something feels wrong. I just don't know what it is."  
"Something? Where?" Abe asked.  
" Somewhere. " Liz said unable to articulate the source of her unease.  
"It could be hormones." Abe said trying to be helpful. " You ARE pregnant. The chemical changes you're going through can cause all kinds of side effects. Mood swings, food cravings, sleep disturbances, pain, bloating....sexual...."  
"I get it!" Liz snapped irritably. She hated when he did that.  
"I'm sorry but my point is that the chemical changes could be causing you to worry about things that are no threat."  
"Maybe." She said "But I'd still feel better if they were here right now."  
"So would I" Abe admitted " But I'm sure everything will be fine until they return."  
"I hope you're right." Liz said.

In Romania Hellboy was following the path into the forest, trying to see if he could find anything about these missing girls. Could be nothing of course. Kids ran away from home all the time. But something told him otherwise. Just the fact that there was an active vampire nest in the area made any disappearance more suspicious. That and the additional fact that these girls were 15 and 17. Some vampires had a taste for young blood.  
He walked on for an hour or so before coming upon his first clue. It was a dropped kerchief. It hadn't been lying on the ground all that long. It wasn't dirty or faded. Looking at it more closely he saw that it was tied in the way girls and women did to cover their heads. There were even a few light brownish hairs caught in the knot. "Someone was here." he muttered to himself. Taking a few minutes he searched the ground around the area. There were no footprints for him to see, no broken brush or disturbed earth. He mumbled something to himself, stuffed the kerchief in his pocket and started deeper into the woods.  
Another hour or so in he found a discarded basket with a handful of mushrooms in the bottom. Animals had been at this and eaten some of the take but there were still some left. Now he was sure he was heading in the right direction. Starting off again he moved faster hoping to get to the bottom of this quickly.  
The trail wound around and up a hill. The higher he went he started to see more rocks, boulders and rocky outcroppings. These could be leading to something more significant, or so he thought. On he went.  
Near the top of the hill the terrain became even more rocky and difficult to traverse. Looking up the trail he saw a massive rock sticking up out of the ground. It had to be some 50-100 feet high he decided. "Just the thing I need." he said, figuring that up there he'd be able to get a good look around the area and get a better feel for the lay of the land. He headed for it.  
As he neared the base of the rock he heard what sounded like sniffling. He stopped and looked around trying to pinpoint the source. "Hellooooooo......?" he called curiously.  
He heard a sort of startled whimper in response. It wasn't far away either. Looking around he was able to figure out what direction the sound was coming from. Cautiously he headed toward it.  
It took a few minutes for him to hone in on where the sound was coming from but finally he traced it to a pile of boulders a few hundred yards from the rock. Getting closer he found a small sort of den formed when one rock had fallen on top of the others. The sound was coming from in there.  
For a moment he wished Liz were there. If this was one of the missing girls she'd be better able to coax her out than he would. She'd certainly be less frightening. No matter, he was alone here and so he had to try and do it himself.  
Getting down on his hands & knees he took out a flashlight & shone it into the darkness of the den. Sure enough there was a girl in there, curled up in a ball face streaked with tears eyes still red.  
"Hey there....." he began, hoping he sounded reassuring. " Are you lost?" That sounded dumb, he thought. Of course she was lost. And scared. "Come on out. I'm here to help." he added.  
The girl didn't move. For a moment she shrank back even farther into her hiding spot.  
"It's OK." he continued. "I want to help. I'm here to take you home."  
The girl didn't move.  
It took a while longer and more talking before she calmed down enough to get the idea this was someone who wasn't going to hurt her. From there she started to move closer toward the entrance.  
"That's it, come on out." Hellboy urged her.  
The girl peered out the entry and spoke "American?" she asked, in a heavily accented voice.  
"Yeah American." HB replied. Maybe he was getting through to her. "Come on out. I'm gonna take you home."  
The girl finally began to crawl out on her hands and knees.  
HB turned off the flashlight and stood up.  
The girl stood as well and looked up with a smile to see who her rescuer was. Seeing Hellboy with his red skin, horns and stone hand her smile vanished and she collapsed in a dead faint.  
"Aw crap." HB said. It was about what he'd figured would happen. "Sorry kid." he said to the now unconscious girl. Then he scooped her up and began to carry her back down the hill toward her home.

Hours later, back at their makeshift HQ Hellboy's helper was updating him on what was going on.  
"The girl is all right, she's just very frightened." he said "Her parents are waiting to see her."  
" Did she say anything about her friend?" HB asked.  
"She said they ran into a strange creature which chased them for some time, which accounts for why she was so deep in the woods. They decided to separate on the idea it couldn't chase both of them at once. When they did this the creature chose to go after her friend and her plan was to circle back to the village for help but she got lost and couldn't find the right path. When she heard you coming she thought you might be the creature coming back so she hid under the rocks where you found her.  
The demon grunted in response. " No sign of the other girl huh?"  
"Not as of yet. We've sent a squad to follow the trail she said her friend went down to look for more clues."  
HB nodded again. Looking at the man he got the feeling there was something else he wanted to say. He could only guess what it was. "Anything else?" he asked at last.  
The liaison looked at HB a bit nervously. The demon was a rather intimidating figure and he wasn't sure how to say what had to be said. "Forgive me," he began" But there have been some.......concerns raised about.......how you handled this."  
The demon turned on him sharply. "Like what?" he asked.  
"Well....perhaps you shouldn't have gone into the woods alone like that. " the man said " People here are very........religious and you....."  
"Frighten them?" HB supplied. He wasn't surprised by this. He'd heard it before.  
"Well yes."  
"Do they know who I am?" he asked  
"We have explained it to them but they're still nervous. " the man said. "You must understand.......they are afraid. They fear for themselves, for their children for their families. They understand we are here to help but they can't get past.....'  
"Yeah yeah yeah I know I get it. " Hellboy snapped " I'm big and red with horns and a tail. Not my fault. Like the song says, I was born this way. "  
The liaison backed off. He didn't know what else he could say to get his point across without angering the demon further. And that right hand was a very intimidating thing. "Thank you for understanding." he said, trying to be diplomatic.  
"You want me to leave? I'll go if you don't want me here." HB said.  
"No! no, that's not what I'm suggesting at all!" the liaison said. "We hired you to do this, we need your help. But perhaps a little more.......discretion would be in order."  
Discretion. That word again. Hellboy didn't like that word. Still....in the back of his mind he heard a little voice telling him to play nice and not do anything rash. They needed the money. He had to remember that. They wouldn't get paid if he was kicked off the job. He sighed "OK. I'll try." he said.  
"Thank you sir."  
"Any time."

Going to the hotel in town Hellboy went up to his room. He was tired and a bit depressed and he missed home...already.  
After taking a shower and grabbing a bite to eat he flopped down on the bed with the TV on. He had no idea what was on or what people were saying but it was TV nonetheless and that was fine with him. Then he picked up the room phone and called home. He needed to hear a familiar voice or two.  
At the house the phone rang. Liz, busy washing dishes, dried off her hands and answered it .  
"Hello?"  
"Hey babe, how ya doin?" came a familiar voice.  
In spite of her uneasiness and the fact he'd used THAT word, she was glad to hear his voice and smiled "Hey Red, how are you doing? How's Romania?"  
"Same as ever, full of Romanians." he said "How's everything at the house?"  
"Fine." she said. She was tempted to tell him about their new house guests but realized that if she did he'd probably drop everything and come running back home and that wouldn't do. They needed the money this job was bringing in . Besides she didn't want him to worry. "Everything is good." she hoped she sounded convincing.  
There was something in her voice that caught his ear as being a little 'off'. "You OK?" he asked a bit concerned.  
"Yeah it's just.....I miss you." she replied, thinking quickly.  
That warmed his heart and made him smile. " I miss you too." he replied. "I'll be home soon. I don't think this'll take long to wrap up. I hope. How's Abe?"  
"He's fine too." she said.  
"Well....we're heading into the villages tomorrow." he said " Don't know if I'm gonna be able to call....at least not for a few days. "  
Liz nodded. That figured somehow. "OK well, be careful." she said.  
"I will. Talk to you in a few days. Call me if anything happens. Leave a message at the desk. They'll make sure I get it." he said.  
"OK. Will do. ".  
And the call was over.  
Turning away from the phone she saw Abe standing there. "Why didn't you tell him?" he asked.  
Liz shook her head "You know what he'd do. I don't want a big scene here right now."  
"There will be an even bigger one when he comes home and finds out you didn't tell him." Abe pointed out.  
"I'll deal with it then." she said "Besides maybe they'll be gone by the time he gets back."  
" I wouldn't count on that." Abe said, thinking on how badly the elves were hurt.  
" We can hope."

Going back upstairs Abe went to check on his charges.  
He started with Nuada this time since he had been the one who incurred the injuries. Laying a hand on his chest Abe tried to gauge his condition.  
There was a lot going on. The surface wounds were healing well enough but the more serious wounds were another story. Especially the stomach wound which was the worst and had caused the most blood loss. His body was working hard to replace the lost blood and repair the damaged tissues and organs but it was clear this was a huge strain. In a human it would probably call for a blood transfusion and antibiotics but elves and humans were different, in spite of the apparent similarities. How could you do a blood transfusion on an elf without a donor?  
All Abe could do was encourage the princes body to try harder to fix itself. He tried to reach Nuada's consciousness but it was hidden deep inside, concentrating on healing.  
Unable to think of anything helpful or useful to do he sighed and left the room.  
With nothing better to do he decided to sit with Nuada's lance for a little while and see what it could tell him about what happened.  
Going to the study he took the weapon out of the safe and sat in a nearby chair, holding it on his lap and letting the lance tell its story.  
It only took a few moments before the images begin to appear in his mind. And there were a lot of them, going back over thousands of years. So many images flashed through his mind it was hard for him to sort them all out. There were battles of course, single combat, training, strange places, strange creatures, all kinds of things he'd never even imagined before. He tried to 'fast forward' the images to the most recent events but it wasn't easy. The prince had never led an uneventful life, or so it seemed from what the lance was showing him.  
At long last he began to get what he'd been looking for. The events that led up to the final battle at Bethmoora with Hellboy. HB tossing the lance aside and then....darkness. Then, after a long period of darkness, light returned. And voices. He couldn't identify them immediately but then the lance was picked up and he saw who was there and it shocked him. It was Rasputin and his helpers, Ilsa and Kroenen and another man he couldn't identify immediately, but who seemed familiar somehow. He saw the argument between Rasputin and Nuada, then the fight. That made sense. It would take a fighter like Kroenen to inflict the kind of injuries he'd found on Nuada. He also saw the aftermath, the elves fleeing Bethmoora across the countryside. Nuala struggling and Nuada determined to get to a safe place, almost carrying her along. And he saw them crossing the river, both at the end of their endurance, Nuada lifting his sister out of the water, she crawling a few yards before collapsing. and Nuada struggling to join her but unable to do so, collapsing where he was. The rest of the story Abe knew.  
Putting the lance aside he sat there blinking for a few moments trying to absorb everything he'd seen.  
He was jolted back to reality when the door opened and Liz appeared. "What's going on?" she asked "Are you OK?"  
"What do you mean?" Abe asked.  
"You've been in here with that thing for hours. I was getting worried." she replied.  
Abe blinked some more. Hours? It had only seemed like a few minutes to him.  
" Did you find out anything?" she asked.  
"Yes.....almost too much." he replied. "It is a very old weapon. But one thing is for certain......we have to call Johann."

In Edinburgh Dr Johann Krauss was busy conferring with fellow paranormal experts. This wasn't a meeting of TV psychics and ghost hunters but seasoned experts in the field. Many having had some sort of connection with one of the arms of the BPRD somewhere along the line. As such Krauss was someone everyone knew or had at least heard of and so his appearance was no shock to anyone. All had gathered to hear the latest news in the paranormal field.  
This day he had given a lecture on identifying different types of fairies, sprites and pixies and had just finished taking questions when a member of the event staff approached him & said there was an urgent call for him from a Mr Sapien in Ireland.  
Knowing that Abe wouldn't call unless it was very important, he excused himself to take the call.  
"Dr Krauss" Johann said briskly.  
"I'm sorry to bother you " came Abe's voice over the line "But something has happened here and I really feel you should come home as soon as possible.". He went on to outline what had happened in the past day or so and the results of his psychometric analysis of Nuada's lance.  
" If Rasputin has indeed returned then the world is in danger, as are Liz and Red." Abe concluded. "We really must confer about this."  
He was trying to impart a sense of urgency to Johann.  
Recalling his time with the Bureau he remembered briefings on Rasputin and Hellboy and the connection between them. He could see ugly implications to this news.  
"You are sure it was Rasputin you saw?" Johann asked.  
"Absolutely. There is no mistake in my mind." Abe replied.  
"And it was his assassin the prince was fighting?"  
"Yes. "  
Johann knew that Abe's word could be trusted. His investigative methods were as thorough as his own. "Very well then. You are correct that this has serious implications for everyone. I will return at once.". With that Johann hung up the phone and went back to the conference room.

"Well?" Liz asked as Abe hung up the phone.  
"He's returning at once." Abe reported. " He should be here later tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on when he can get a plane out. "  
"Good." Liz said, already feeling better about the situation. The notion that Rasputin and his cronies were back was scary, to say the least. She remembered what had happened last time and knew that the Russian would target her and Red as soon as he figured out where they were. It was almost a good thing Red was away. It would make Rasputins job a little harder.  
She thought too about the prince and princess. Having once tried to end the world of men would Nuada join with Rasputin or fight him? If Abe was right...and he typically was... Nuada had rejected Rasputin and his plans and almost been killed for it. There was some comfort in that but....if they were to take on Rasputin again, would the prince help or sit on the sidelines? Or would he join Rasputin on the notion that Red was his enemy?  
"It's a little early to worry about that Liz." Abe said when she shared her concerns with him. " The prince might not live long enough to make that decision.".  
Liz immediately regretted the reference, knowing that brother and sister were linked and how stuck Abe was on Nuala. It was a painful subject for him. "I'm sorry." she said  
"Oh...that's all right." Abe said with a wave of his hand, trying to downplay the subject. "We'll just have to try and convince Nuada to help us and not them."

At the conference Johann was trying to get away from people so he could gather his things and leave.  
As he was about to leave the lecture hall he ran into one final obstacle.  
"Oh Dr Krauss.....?"  
Johann turned and saw Dr Manning, BPRD director, hailing him. If he'd had a human face, he'd have scowled. "Und what do YOU want?" he asked rather sharply.  
" Can I have a moment please?" Manning asked, trying not to sound too obsequious.  
"Well.....?"  
" I was wondering, would you be willing to come back to the bureau?" Manning asked "Things aren't going so well and we could really use your expertise."  
"Out of the question." Johann said firmly "Now if you'll excuse me..." trying to push past the man.  
" No, wait.....just a second..." Manning pleaded. "If it's a matter of money I can get that for you. The others too. No more interference either. You can use your own judgement on things. Not a problem. Please?"  
Krauss looked at Manning. If there had been a face to show an expression it wouldn't have been a pleasant one." Herr Manning I cannot think of a circumstance that would make any of us wish to return to the bureau. Now if you'll excuse me...."  
" Please? I'm getting a lot of flak from Washington about you guys quitting. "  
"That is not my problem." Johann said. 'Und if you do not get out of my way schnell I will be forced to MAKE you move."  
Manning hesitated for a moment or two then stepped aside.  
As Krauss walked past him and down the hall he called "I'll be available if you change your mind.... thank you... Dr Krauss......" he trailed off realizing he was being ignored, and watched the man in the containment suit disappear around a corner.  
Watching this tableau was another man, bald, with a neatly trimmed beard and dark sunglasses. He watched Johann disappear and then watched Manning go his own way. A humorless smile spread across his face.

In Romania Hellboy was meeting with the army lieutenant his liaison and a couple of other functionaries regarding their next moves.  
"We have information leading us to believe there is a small group of vampires about ten miles North of here occupying an abandoned village." the lieutenant said.  
"Anything about the girl?" HB asked. He was anxious to find this kid before she was turned into one of them. Time was of the essence in this.  
" We had a report that an unknown female was seen wandering in that area. It may be the missing girl.".  
"Daytime or night?" HB asked  
" Ummm....I believe it was daytime. "  
"Good. Then we're not too late yet." HB said. He really wanted to get her back home. If she became a vampire he'd have to kill her and he didn't want to have to do that. "Let's get going." he added.  
"But....don't you want to hear the rest?" the lieutenant stammered.  
"Nah. You can tell me on the way. Let's go." the demon said and headed off toward the army truck parked nearby.  
The others looked at him for a few seconds and then hustled after him, the soldiers falling in and jogging to the truck as well, climbing in the back as fast as they could. Within minutes they were heading out again.

By the time Johann had returned home things had taken a turn for the worse with the elves. They'd both developed fevers and there were definite signs of infection in their wounds.  
"What happened?" Liz asked in concern.  
"I'm guessing it's because their wounds went untreated for so long." Abe replied helplessly. " Perhaps their long exposure to the river water allowed bacteria in. I thought I'd cleaned everything out thoroughly but I guess I missed something."  
Johann joined them and conducted his own examination. "We will have to open the wounds and clean them again." he said.  
"But....what about blood loss?" Abe asked. "Their blood count is already low, are you sure it would be safe?"  
"You've done no blood analysis?" Johann asked.  
" No I didn't dare." Abe said.  
" We must do it now." Johann said crisply.  
"But...."  
"No 'but's." Johann said. "We must draw a sample now!"  
"We don't have the equipment to properly analyze it." Abe objected. While they had some laboratory equipment at the house they didn't have the elaborate machines they'd had at the bureau. Neither Abe nor Liz knew how this could possibly work.  
"Leave that to me." Johann said confidently. "Draw the blood!"  
Abe looked at Liz who shrugged helplessly. She had no idea either but what else was there to do?  
Still uncertain, Abe got a needle and drew some blood from Nuada and took it to Johann's lab downstairs. Together they ran what tests they could and conferred about what the best course of action was.  
Upstairs Liz was kept busy going from one room to the other keeping an eye on the patients.  
It took a few hours but eventually the two emerged with a plan, although Abe didn't seem too sure of it.  
"Well?" Liz asked.  
"I believe we have a solution." Johann said. "We will have to open the wounds and clean them again."  
"What about the blood loss thing?" Liz asked, remembering Abe's concerns.  
"We have discovered that their blood is different from human blood, but not too different." Krauss said.  
"Dr Krauss believes that we can use a modified solution using human blood to create an adequate short term replacement for their blood until their bodies 'catch up' as it were." Abe explained.  
"Ok so where are you going to get..........." she paused as she realized what they were saying. "Why are you looking at me......?" she asked uneasily.  
Within minutes Liz was sitting in Johanns lab, being prepped to donate blood.  
"I can't believe you're doing this." she complained. " Don't you have to be the right blood type or something?"  
"We don't need much Liz." Abe said, trying to be reassuring.  
" I really don't care if Nuada dies." she went on as if not hearing what he'd said.  
"You know he's not the only one involved." Johann replied. "There is really nothing to be concerned about."  
"I can't believe I'm doing this....." Liz muttered to herself.  
It didn't take long for Johann & Abe to get what they needed & create a formula that they thought would work.  
From there they went back upstairs & reopened the wounds, cleaning out pockets of infected material treating and re stitching them. That done they spent the night watching over their charges to make sure nothing further went wrong.  
Still in a state of disbelief over her role in the procedure Liz stayed away from the action, locking herself in her room for the night

In Romania the army truck rumbled up a rutted dirt road toward the abandoned village the vampires were supposed to be in.  
In the cab the liaison was telling Hellboy the rest of the story about the place.  
"It was occupied by the Nazis during WWII. They used it as a counterintelligence post to try and keep track of partisans, Russians and other enemies of the Reich. As the Russians approached partisans attacked. The fighting was house to house, most of the Nazis were killed, the rest were held for the Russian Army......"  
"Good. I hate Nazis." HB muttered.  
" Yes.....but the villagers left. Some of the men had been conscripted into the German army, then the Russian army, others killed, some joined the resistance. In any case the remaining people moved to other villages and never returned."  
It wasn't an unfamiliar story. Scenes like this had played out all over Europe during the war. Now the village had become a vampire nest. Unfortunately for Hellboy that wasn't an unusual scenario either.

As the trucks rumbled up the deeply rutted road, Hellboy was looking over the landscape, the deteriorated buildings, some still bearing marks from a war fought long ago, and remembering similar situations he'd dealt with.  
The trucks came to a stop in what had once been the village square. The rough cobblestones no longer formed a smooth surface. Frost heaves and erosion had lifted and sunk stones in various places. Some stones were missing altogether, no doubt having found their way through windows of abandoned buildings at the hands of restless youth.  
The demon and his entourage got out of their trucks and looked around the place warily. No doubt they were being watched, but by what or where was anyones guess. Hellboy didn't think it would be the vampires themselves since it was broad daylight and they'd still be in hiding. But that didn't mean other entities with more tolerance for light weren't there.  
"Where do you think we should start?" the liaison asked a bit nervously.  
"Church." Hellboy said, waving the Samaritan in the direction of the derelict house of worship at one end of the square.  
"The church?" his companion asked.  
" Yeah." HB responded. " They like setting up camp in old churches. Once they get rid of all the crosses that is. ".  
The idea of shooting up a church, even a decrepit one like this, didn't sit well with the liaison or the officer leading the troops. But they HAD asked Hellboy to come help them and this was his decision. Like it or not they had no choice but to follow.  
HB started off toward the church, Samaritan at the ready, his little band of understandably nervous soldiers a few paces behind.  
The church door was closed but barely so, hanging on rusty hinges. All it took was a push from the demon to open it. He paused at the entry to look around once or twice before he stepped inside.  
Inside sunlight filtered in dirty and broken windows to illuminate the main aisle. Most of the pews were still in place, as if waiting for parishioners who had long since gone elsewhere. Others were knocked over and left willy-nilly on the floor. Birds had taken up residence in the rafters, their feathers and other leavings everywhere.  
Hellboy scanned the rafters and dark corners for signs of danger. He sensed they weren't alone but so far what might be there for company, friendly or not, was being illusive. "Spread out." he told his followers "And be careful. No telling what might be here."  
With a word from their sergeant, the soldiers fanned out, moving slowly and cautiously between the pews.  
They made their way toward the pulpit but found nothing of concern. A few rats and mice, birds fluttering from rafter to rafter, nothing more suspicious than that.  
Reaching the pulpit and the vestry beyond and finding nothing they began to relax a bit. One part of the building seemed clear, hopefully the rest would be too.  
Still looking around, HB lowered his gun and asked "Is there a crypt here?"  
The liaison thought a few moments trying to recall his briefing on this place. "I believe so, yes." he said.  
Hellboy nodded. "That's where they'll be." he said. "Let's go."  
After a little searching they found the door that led to the underground crypt. Surprisingly this door looked to be in good shape and even to have been recently repaired. It certainly didn't look anywhere near as ancient as the rest of the building.  
"But how...." the liaison asked, looking at it.  
"Someone's been doing some renovating." HB said.  
"But who..."  
"Let's find out." HB said and reached for the door handle. Giving it a pull he found it didn't want to open. 'Hmmmmm...." he said, now sure of what he was dealing with. He pulled again, harder. The door still didn't budge. "You might as well let go 'cause I'm coming in one way or another." he told the door and whatever was on the other side.  
He was about to pull on it again when the door exploded open and a dozen or more screaming, winged, fanged creatures swarmed out.  
The force of it threw Hellboy and his liaison back several feet where they landed on the floor almost on top of each other.  
The soldiers screamed in alarm as the creatures fell upon them, biting and clawing. Some were able to fire their guns and scare some of the creatures off. They flew up toward the rafters, deftly avoiding the beams of light streaming in the windows.  
Recovering Hellboy got to his feet and started firing at the creatures. His hand-made projectiles had been specially designed for use against vampires and their associates. Each bullet that found its mark sent a creature into a tailspin, screaming as the special formula burned them from the inside. They crashed to the floor and collapsed in a pile of dust and ash.  
The rounds of the ordinary soldiers didn't have quite as much of an effect, but they did force the creatures to keep their distance. Some accidentally swooped into beams of sunlight where they exploded in flames and crashed to the ground. Others tried to swoop in and grab the soldiers or their guns.  
Hellboy reloaded and started trying to pick off the creatures, wishing they'd keep still long enough for him to get a bead on.  
The firefight lasted only minutes but could have been hours for all anyone could tell. In the end all the creatures had been killed. A couple of the soldiers had died as well and others were covered with scratches and bite marks. No one was left unscathed. Even Hellboy caught a few claws during the fight.  
Looking over the scene the demon was satisfied. So far so good.  
"Were those the vampires?" the liaison asked.  
"Nah." HB replied. "They're still down there. " he casually reloaded the Samaritan in preparation for the next phase of the investigation. "Those were their watchdogs. Come on....there's more work to do." he said and started down the stairs into the crypt.  


At Rasputins castle Ilsa and Zinco were putting the final touches on the floor of the room Rasputin had chosen for his ceremonies. There were tables placed at regular intervals around the room and a large circle marked out in the middle. Runes and symbols were added to the circle and parts of the space inside and outside of it. To one side a large stone slab had been erected with more symbols and runes going from top to bottom. There were two holes carved into it as well, connected by carved lines. The locks to be opened by Hellboy once they got hold of him.  
Rasputin entered the room as they finished up. They stood and turned to him as he approached.  
"Very good." he said approvingly as he surveyed their work, a smile crossing his face.  
"We will have the chains installed next." Zinco said. " As you directed."  
Rasputin nodded. " Make sure they are strong enough. " he said "The child is powerful. We must make sure he cannot escape until he is willing to co operate. What else are you preparing for me?" he asked.  
" I am experimenting with animal hybrids." Zinco said. The results are promising so far."  
"What sort of hybrids?" Rasputin asked.  
" I've started working with dogs first, but I would like to use wolves eventually. They are much stronger and less docile."  
Rasputin nodded. " What else?"  
"I am also working with some reptiles. With Kroenens help I was able to steal some fossil bones from museums and have been isolating DNA strands and making modifications to them on that level to create creatures never seen on earth before."  
That also sounded good to the Russian. "What form will they take?"" he asked  
"Oh they will be magnificent my lord." Zinco said with enthusiasm. " Great and terrible. "  
" Big?"  
"As big as you want them lord." Zinco said.  
Rasputin smiled. " Very good." He was very pleased with this scientist they'd chosen to join his group. " I will look forward to seeing your creations."  
"What about other creatures?" Ilsa asked. "You said you were going to bring back things from the past."  
"That is why I needed the ritual floor done quickly." Rasputin said. " To begin this part of our work."  
The two nodded and smiled. Things were going in the right direction this time. This time they would not fail, they were sure of it.

In Romania Hellboy led his squad into the dark crypt below the old church. Everyone had their flashlights out and were using them to sweep the space ahead on them, looking for more unfriendly creatures. So far they found none.  
"Keep your eyes open." HB advised "They know we're here so anything can happen now.". He didn't really need a flashlight to see in the dark. One of the useful traits of being a supernatural creature.  
Reaching the bottom of the narrow staircase he paused, switching his tail a bit in agitation. They were here, he could feel it. Having fought the undead so many times before he could sense when they were around.  
At the bottom of the stairs was a small ante room, beyond that another doorway. With a low growl in his throat Hellboy headed for it, the soldiers reluctantly following behind.  
Going through the doorway, the Samaritan leading the way, Hellboy found himself in a much bigger room with a couple dozen stone crypts in it. He could hear rats and mice scurrying around and between them in the dark, trying to escape the visitors.  
"Are these all vampires?" the liaison asked nervously. The encounter with the other creatures had shaken him a bit and he was by no means certain of what he'd gotten himself into.  
" Maybe." the demon hedged. He figured that every sarcophagus held a vampire but he didn't want to scare the guy too much.  
Going to the nearest crypt Hellboy worked the fingers of his right hand under the edge of the lid and heaved with all his considerable strength.  
The lid shifted and slid off its base revealing a pale creature inside. It looked like it was asleep, recently dead, but HB knew better. He could tell it had been feeding recently, a dribble of blood at the corner of its mouth.  
"Wakey wakey." he said to the thing. He knew it must be listening and just hoping he'd believe it was asleep & leave it alone. Not a chance. "You're not fooling anyone you know." he added when his first remark got no response.  
Turning to his troops he said "Fan out and stay sharp they're not........."  
Before he could finish the creature in the crypt sat up with a violent scream and reached for his throat with both clawed hands.  
Reacting on instinct HB grabbed the thing in one hand and threw it across the room like a toy. It crashed into the wall and crumpled to the ground.  
Suddenly the lids of all the other crypts flew open and two dozen vampires set upon the intruders, screaming, clawing and biting.  
The soldiers fought back as best they could in the cramped space. Flashlights were dropped creating strange shadows in the room and making it hard for them to see what they were fighting. About all they could do was crouch and cover their heads with their hands and hope it would be over soon.  
Hellboy was the only one still fighting back since he was the only one who could still see but the sheer number of creatures to fight was more than even he could handle. "To hell with this!" he said to himself and reached into his pocket for another little goody he'd brought. It looked like a grenade but wasn't exactly. He pulled the pin and dropped it on the floor a foot or so away. "Get a load of this..." he told the creatures.  
Within seconds the thing exploded with a bright flash followed by an unmistakable smell.  
The creatures screamed even louder but retreated from their foes, scrambling to get to the back of the room. As the smell filled the room they crowded in the back corners, trying to escape it.  
"What.....?" the liaison asked, cautiously standing upright again.  
"Little invention of my own. " Hellboy said smugly "Garlic bomb. You know how they hate garlic."  
Indeed the creatures were crouched hissing and snarling in the far corner of the room, not daring to try and attack again.  
"What do we do now?"  
"Finish 'em off. " he said, raised the Samaritan and started firing.  
The soldiers started to do the same.  
The creatures tried to hide between the sarcophagi and escape but Hellboy was ready for that too. He had a bag full of wooden stakes which he used like knives to stab those he couldn't shoot or who tried to attack again. He tossed other stakes to soldiers so they could do the same.  
Within half an hour they were done. All the vampires were dead, either shot with Hellboys special ammunition or stabbed with wooden stakes.  
"As they looked over the carnage the liaison asked "Now what?"  
" You're not gonna like this." the demon began. "You're gonna have to blow it up."  
" Blow it up? "  
"Uh huh, the whole thing. That way no other vampires will be able to move in & set up shop." HB said "Make sure this crypt is opened to the sun, that'll take care of them for good. " He hated blowing up houses of worship but in this instance there was no real choice.  
The squad retreated, limping, wounded, tired, sore but relieved to have survived the fight.  
The squad commander called for an explosives team to come blow up the church, with special attention being paid to the crypt area. Medics began patching up the wounded, including Hellboy who complained, as always.  
Their work done, they piled into the truck to head back to their command post.

Back at the house it had taken them two days, but Abe and Johann had managed to get the elves through their crisis and back on the road to recovery. It had also taken a late night visit by Johann to the druggist to obtain some much-needed drugs and supplies. Being an ectoplasmic entity had advantages sometimes. He even rang up the sale by entering the cash register and opening it from the inside.  
Not the best way of getting supplies but there was no question of the need and no time to figure out how to get things the usual way.  
Once everything was under control the elves bounced back quickly.  
To Abe's delight Nuala seemed to recover a bit more quickly than her brother, the infection leaving him a bit weaker and making his recovery a bit harder.  
Liz was still having trouble with the idea of having Nuada in the house. She still hated him for almost killing Hellboy last time they'd met. As soon as the crisis was over she went back to staying away from the elves and keeping to herself.  
Two or three days later, Abe was sitting with Nuala, as he was accustomed to do for hours each day, when he was startled to feel a ripple in her consciousness. Surprised, he looked at her closely, putting a webbed hand on hers and staring. It took a few moments but her eyelids fluttered a bit and then opened. Her eyes looked around the room not knowing where she was, then her eye fell on Abe at her bedside.  
"Nuala!" he whispered in delight and concern, leaning over to look.  
She looked at him and blinked once or twice , a smile spreading across her face. "Abraham!' she whispered in delight. "It IS you. I heard your voice in my dreams, I didn't think it was true."  
"Is is true." Abe said. " I found you on the river bank. I was so worried. I was afraid I'd lose you again.".  
" But...what are you doing here?" she asked " I thought you'd have gone back home.".  
"This IS our home now." Abe said " After.......what happened, we decided to leave the bureau. We live here now. I'm so glad you're back." he added, stopping before he said too much.  
" But.....what........? How......?" she said trying to put the pieces together but not having much luck with it. " I remember a fight.......at Bethmoora......"  
"Yes." Abe said. " You and your brother were brought back by an evil man. Your brother fought his minions and was hurt. He helped you escape and led you to a place not far from here. Do you remember crossing the river?"  
Nuala thought "Yes, a little." she replied "It's all so vague right now."  
"You were both very weak." Abe said. " I'm not surprised you don't remember. "  
" And my brother....?"  
" He's here. " Abe replied. " He's in another room, down the hall. He hasn't wakened yet, as far as I know. His recovery hasn't been as smooth."  
She seemed to accept this with a certain amount of trepidation. " He may be very angry when he wakes." she said. " He may still think of you as an enemy. Please be careful."  
"I don't think he'll be able to do much of anything even if he is angry." Abe said. " He's weaker than you are right now. Whatever movement he's capable of will be limited. He was very badly hurt. We were amazed he was able to walk at all much less make it this far from Bethmoora.".  
"My brother is very strong-willed." Nuala replied. " He has the ability to draw upon....other sources of strength when needed, as all our people do."  
"Do you know where he was going?" Abe asked  
" He said something about an uncle, but I really don't remember what he said and he didn't tell me where exactly he was going, only that we'd be safe there." Another thought came to her just then "What happened to the crown?"  
"Don't worry about it." Abe assured her. "The Golden Army will never rise again. We've taken care of that."  
Nuala closed her eyes in relief. While neither of them had mentioned it during their escape, the idea that the crown still existed and her brother could again get hold of it troubled her.  
" Yes I know." Abe said sensing her relief. " A bit sad really, but for the best in the end.".  
" And my brother doesn't know this.....?"  
" As far as I know, no. He hasn't wakened yet and so there's no way for him to know."  
" He may be very angry when he finds out. Please be careful of that."  
" We will. "  
Sensing she was becoming weary with talking, Abe said "I think you should rest now. You've been through a great deal. You still have a lot of healing to do yet. We can talk more later."  
" You will be close by?" she asked.  
" Yes. I will always be here for you." he replied.  
"Thank you Abraham." she said and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.  
Abe held her hand to his cheek for a few moments then laid it down again at her side. Drawing the blankets closer around her he left the room to go check on his other charge.

Going into Nuada's room it didn't appear that the prince had awakened yet so Abe went about his usual routine of checking vital signs and wounds to make sure they were healing properly.  
As he was writing down his findings he happened to look over and saw that his patients eyes were open and watching him.  
"Your highness....." he said, remembering to be respectful. He didn't feel he could be as casual with Nuada as he was with Nuala.  
The eyes stared for a few moments as if trying to put a name to the face he was looking at. After a few seconds some recognition appeared in his expression. "Abraham." Nuada said quietly. Somehow the prince wasn't surprised to see his sisters lover. In his dark dreams he'd heard the fish mans voice a number of times and knew he was nearby.  
" You remember..." Abe said, taking some pleasure in the recognition.  
"Some things are hard to forget." the prince responded. "And my sister?"  
" She's doing well. She's in a room down the hall." Abe reported. " Although I suspect you know that already."  
Nuada nodded slightly. Turning his eyes to the room he looked over as much as he could without moving. "What is this place?" he asked.  
"This is our home." Abe said. " It's a few miles downstream from where I found you."  
" You found us?" Nuada asked. It was almost a rhetorical question. As soon as he said it he vaguely recalled seeing the fish man before losing consciousness.  
" Yes. I was swimming in the river and found you. We brought you back here so we could take care of you."  
" You did." Nuada said tartly. "Why?".  
The question took Abe a bit by surprise and he scrambled to answer it. "Well....." he began " You were hurt....you needed help. I couldn't just leave you both lying there bleeding like that. That would be....forgive the phrase....inhuman."  
"Inhuman." Nuada said acidly. "There are plenty of humans who would have done just that. Do not talk to me about what is human.".  
"I'm sorry " Abe responded "I just couldn't think of another word to use.."  
"Did you do this for me or for my sister?" the prince went on all but ignoring Abe's apology.  
"Well....for both of you." Abe said. "I know about your link but even without that, even if it were just you, I'd have taken you in. "  
Nuada looked at him with raised eyebrows "Really?" he asked. "I wonder....."  
"No need to wonder." Abe said "It's true. I wanted to help.....I LIKE to help. That's all we've ever tried to do."  
The prince had no answer for this although he was nowhere near ready to believe yet.  
"You're still weak and need to rest." Abe said, trying to take charge of the situation again. "I'll be back to check on you again later.". And he got up to leave.  
Nuada eyed him as he did. "You're not asking my permission to leave?", reminding the fish man who he was dealing with.  
"No. "Abe said "We're not much for formalities here. Besides, there is really nothing you can do to stop me anyway. You're bedridden."  
With that Abe walked out of the room and closed the door.  
In spite of himself Nuada smiled a bit. Abe was an almost perfect courtier. Respectful but not obsequious. he didn't have much use for courtiers but, as Abe had pointed out, he was in no condition to do anything at the moment.  
He stared at the ceiling for a few moments and tried to reach out to his sister. He got no response and he realized she must be sleeping. That would partially explain why he was tired.  
Next he tried to assess his condition, shifting in bed to see what was working and what wasn't. Waves of pain swept through him and he decided that not much of anything was working & it'd be best if he simply kept still as much as possible for the time being. Settling himself as best he could, he closed is eyes again and tried to concentrate on healing.

Going downstairs Abe ran into Liz in the kitchen.  
"What's going on? She asked "How are they?"  
"They're both awake now." Abe reported, looking over his notes.  
" How's the prince reacting to things?" Liz asked.  
" About as well as you'd expect." he replied. " He's suspicious, distrustful. Wants to know what our intentions are."  
"We just saved his life and he's suspicious?"Liz asked. She'd expected at least a bit of gratitude for their efforts.  
"Remember Liz last time we all met we were on opposing sides, fighting each other." Abe pointed out. "To wake up on our house now would make anyone suspicious. I really can't blame him for that."  
"Is he still talking about war with mankind?" she asked.  
"The amount of talking he can do right now is limited." Abe said "He's still very weak. I wouldn't worry about it for the moment."  
Abe went on to consult with Johann about their patients  
Hearing Abe's report Johann was very encouraged. "I think it would be best if you were the main person dealing with them." Johann told Abe and Liz who'd joined the meeting. " Besides your relationship with the princess, your manner of addressing the prince is the one most likely to get a positive response. He is royalty and clearly expects to be treated according to the manner of his position. If we do this we will be able to gain his trust and co operation."  
"What's the point?" Liz asked "He's not going to do anything we say."  
" We must try." Johann said. "If he has no ill feelings toward us its possible he won't want to harm us."  
"I wouldn't bet on that." Liz said.. "Red will be back in a few days. What do we tell him?"  
"The same thing."  
"You know he won't listen"> she said. She could imagine the demons reaction to having the elves in the house and she wasn't looking forward to it.  
"Then we will have to MAKE him understand."Johann said.  
"Easier said than done." Liz said.  
"Perhaps so but necessary."  
"And we still have no idea where Rasputin is or what he has in mind." Abe added.  
" I think we all know what he wants. Same thing as last time." Liz said. The idea that the Russian was back and would-eventually- be coming for them scared her more than Nuada or HB's reaction to having him in the house.  
"That is precisely why we must cultivate the princes good will. We cannot fight both him AND Rasputin at the same time and his abilities would be better employed on OUR side than THEIRS. So we must make the best use of our time to win the prince over to our side. Everything could depend upon it."

Back in Romania Hellboy and his army helpers were reviewing their mission and what it meant. In a stroke of luck the missing village girl had been found alive and had been brought to the command center to be checked out by doctors and to be interviewed.  
In order not to traumatize her further they kept Hellboy away from her. Instead he was allowed to watch the interview via video link.  
"She says she and her friend were attacked in the woods. " a translator said. " They separated in hope to lose the attacker but she was caught. The thing that attacked her looked like a strange man. He talked politely but he scared her. She fainted and when she woke up she was in a place she'd never seen before. An old building....she says it looked like a castle. There was music and sounds of people talking and laughing. She said there were other women with her. They all had bite marks on their necks. Most of the women there were local but one was a foreigner. English or American she thinks. This woman, with the assistance of the others, helped her escape when no one was looking. They told her to tell the authorities. She didn't know where she was so it took her a long time to find her way back. She found a farmer who brought her to a village and from there someone brought her back here. "  
"Hmph." HB grunted. He didn't like the sounds of any of this. "We gotta find out more about that place." he said.  
The translator spoke into a microphone and told the interviewer what HB had said. The interviewer nodded and turned back to the girl.  
She in turn began describing what she'd seen and where it was as best she could.  
The translator did his job passing on what she was saying to the demon.  
Once the interview was done and all the information transcribed, Hellboy and his helpers conferred on what their next move should be.  
They gathered around a table where the officers brought out maps of the area. They group poured over them.  
"This is where we are." the army commander began, pointing out the spot on the map. "This is the abandoned village we were at days ago, where we blew up the church. The girl turned up in THIS village here......." he pointed out a spot farther to the North of their location.  
"So there's an even bigger nest somewhere up there." HB said. "And they're holding captives.". Looking at his companions he knew he didn't have to explain what that meant. For once he wished Abe were there with his vast store of knowledge and psychometric ability. "What's up there that's big enough to hold a really big nest of vampires?" he asked.

<  
It was late afternoon when Abe went up to see Nuala. With him he brought a new creation; a nutritional drink he and Johann had formulated for the elves to help them recover faster.  
"We weren't sure exactly what elves eat," he began apologetically "But I tried to make something good for you.". he said offering her the glass.  
" We eat many of the same things humans do.". she replied, taking it. and giving it a cautious sip.  
" How is it?" Abe asked anxiously.  
" It's very good." she said " You used fresh milk." she noted "And fruit.".  
"Yes, there's a farmer down the road who we buy things from. He always has fresh milk for us."  
"Have you given any to my brother?"  
" Not yet. I thought he might be......difficult so I decided to give it to you first."  
Nuala smiled at Abes perception. " I expect he won't make things easy for you I'm afraid." she said. " He can be.....stubborn.".  
Abe thought that 'stubborn' was at least an understatement of not a gross mischaracterization of the prince, but said nothing. " He was very....suspicious when he woke up earlier. He was asking about our intentions. I explained things to him but I don't think he believed me."  
"He's learned not to trust." she said. "It's become a natural reaction for him. He can be difficult but if you keep at him maybe he'll see. I'll help as much as I can although he doesn't always listen to me either."  
" I'd appreciate that." Abe said. " Red is actually much the same.....stubborn that is."  
Mention of the demon made the princess wonder about him "Where IS your friend?" she asked.  
"Oh he's not here right now. He's in Romania fighting vampires. He should be back in a few days."  
"Will he be upset that we're here?"  
" Not you." Abe said " But I don't know if he'll like having your brother here."  
" Should we leave?"  
" NO! No....no you're welcome here. Besides you're not well enough to leave. It'll just make things a bit.....noisy...at first. "Abe said.  
" I don't want to cause any trouble." she said.  
"No no trouble. " Abe assured her. He'd just found her again the last thing he wanted was for her to disappear on him. " It'll be all right I'm sure."  
She accepted his response. Finishing the glass she handed it back and said "It was very good, thank you."  
"You're welcome. I'll bring you more later. Your stomach is still healing so I think it best not to have too much just yet. "  
"Thank you." she said again. "You're a good healer, I can tell."  
" I've learned a few things over the years." Abe said modestly. "I'm always learning more. If you'll excuse me I have to bring some formula to your brother now but after that I'll bring you some music, if you like....?"  
I'd like that very much." she said. Pausing she cocked her head as if listening. "What is it?" Abe asked. "He's awake." she said..  
"Can you tell what kind of mood he's in?"Abe asked. She seemed to consider some more "Curious." she said "And suspicious." "I suppose I should go see him." Abe said. " Let me know if you need anything." "I will." she said "And thank you." "You're welcome." Abe said and turned to leave the room with the empty glass.

In the other room Nuada was staring at the ceiling, trying not to move much. The less he moved the less he hurt which he considered a good thing. Opening himself a bit he felt his sisters presence down the hall. She was very happy with someone who was with her. Abraham no doubt. That irked him no end. No matter how she felt about him the fish man was not worthy of his sister. She was a princess. Royalty. Much better than Abe would ever be.  
His train of thought was interrupted by the door opening. He looked sharply to see who might be coming in.  
"Your highness?" Abe asked poking his head in.  
"Abraham." Nuada said in acknowledgement. "I take it my sister is well.....?" It was a rhetorical question as always. He knew very well how his sister was.  
"Yes." Abe said entering the room and going to the bedside. He didn't bother acknowledging the obvious. "But right now I'm more interested in how you're doing.".  
Nuada watched him closely. Not angry but wary and not happy with the intrusion yet unable to do anything about it.  
To Abe he seemed much like a wounded tiger in a cage. Unable to fight but wanting to appear ready to do so anyway."I'm sorry this is difficult for you," he began, remembering to be respectful, "It must be very......uncomfortable and disconcerting to find yourself here but I promise we mean you no harm. What happened before is in the past. Here we just want to help.".  
Nuada stared at him "And does your friend feel the same?" he asked.  
"My friend? Oh you mean Red?" Abe asked "He's not here right now. What he doesn't know won't bother him."  
"And when he finds out?"  
" He'll bluster and yell but nothing more than that." Abe assured him "Trust me I know."  
Almost in spite of himself Nuada smiled a little. Abe was being honest and believed what he was saying, he could sense that. The guy didn't seem to have a mean bone in his body making it hard for even Nuada to hold anything against him. "Where do you come from Abraham?" he asked, his tone becoming more conversational.  
" I don't really know." Abe said as he began his examination. "I have no memory of it. I remember waking up in a tank in an abandoned orphanage in 1978 but anything before that is a blank."  
The prince digested this thoughtfully. In his travels around the world over the millennia he'd encountered just about every kind of creature that called earth home but he'd never seen anything like Abe before. Even the merfolk he knew were not like him.  
"How much pain are you in?" Abe asked. He was busy with his exam rather than conversation.  
"Some" Nuada said. He didn't want to admit to much of anything just yet. He didn't like being helpless, much less being poked and prodded. Even less than that being poked and prodded by someone he wasn't sure he could trust.  
"Hmmmmm" Abe mused. Nuada was trying to hide his symptoms. Not surprising, he told himself. He'd already sensed the princes discomfort along with the status of his injuries. He decided to use a tactic he often used with Hellboy. "It's not really much use trying to hide things from me." he said "I can sense everything simply by touch."  
"Then why did you ask?" Nuada responded.  
"I was just being polite." Abe said "Part of good bedside manners and all that."  
"I don't like playing games Abraham." the prince said a bit sharply.  
"Neither do I." Abe replied "It would be better all around if that stopped right now, if you please."  
Nuada was rather taken aback by this. It sounded and felt like a reprimand. He didn't like reprimands, especially from people like Abe. In other circumstances he would have struck back but here he didn't. Not that he liked or approved of the reprimand rather striking back was impossible at the moment and pointless. Instead he glared fiercely at the fishman.  
As if sensing this Abe said "I'm sorry your highness but I'm trying to help you and I can only do that if I have your co operation. If you're not honest with me I can't tell if something is going wrong which could indicate a more serious problem."  
"You just said you could sense everything by touch." Nuada pointed out.  
"Yes I can tell what is wrong but not how you're feeling about it and whether or not its bothering you."  
Nuada decided to get in a dig of his own."The only thing bothering me right now Abraham is YOU." he said.  
"Your highness! Please!" Abe responded. He realized that Nuada was more like Hellboy than he'd imagined. Both were frustratingly obstinate. "If you want to recover I need you to co operate.".  
Nuada smiled a bit. He'd hit his mark. The fish man wasn't quite as unflappable as he appeared.  
He might have taken another shot at Abe but for the gentle touch of his sister down the hall. She wanted him to do as he was asked . 'As you wish my sister.' he thought and surrendered. Besides, picking on Abe could be fun for a while but not for long. He was too easy a mark. 'Very well." he told Abe "Proceed."  
Silently Abe thanked Nuala for her help and continued his examination.

Later downstairs Abe related the whole thing to Liz.  
"Great." she said "We have another HB under our roof. Just what we need."  
"At least we know how to handle that." Abe said, trying to put a more positive spin on things. "And Nuala can usually reason with him."  
"Yeah that really worked well last time." Liz pointed out.  
"That situation was different." Abe said "He's in no condition to attack anyone right now except with words. And I doubt he'll be punching holes in walls like Red might. I dare say the prince is smarter than that. Royal education and so on. I think it will be all right now that we've established our boundaries."  
"I hope you're right." Liz said 

That evening Liz got another phone call from Hellboy.  
"What's going on?" she asked, glad to hear from him again.  
"Nothing good." the demon admitted. "This is bigger than we thought. We cleared out one nest but there's a bigger one about twenty miles farther North."  
" You're going after it?" she asked, already knowing the answer.  
" Yeah. " HB replied. "Word is they're holding captives so we've gotta go get 'em. It's up in the mountains so I won't be able to call until we get back. Could be a few more days."  
Liz nodded to herself. Somehow she expected that. "OK well......be careful." she said, somewhat disappointed.  
"Hang in there kid." HB responded, hearing the disappointment in her voice."I'll be home before you know it."  
His tone made Liz smile a little. So typical of him. "OK. Whenever you get here.".  
"Mind the kids for me." he tossed in.  
And the call was over.  
Liz smiled wider. If only he knew how many 'kids' she was minding right now.....

A day or so later Abe went up to see Nuala, as he did so often. As she recovered he spent more and more time with her. He set up a music player in her room so she could listen to that if she wanted and the number of books piled on her nightstand was growing daily.  
This day was a beautiful sunny spring day and after his customary exam, Abe offered to open the windows and let the fresh air in.  
"It's really quite nice out right now." he said.  
"Yes I'd like that. Thank you." Nuala replied with a smile. She found she enjoyed being in this place, in spite of her injuries. She loved Abes company and the room was bright and sunny much of the day. The windows faced the garden and, when open, the smell of flowers sunshine and green things filled the room.  
Abe crossed the room and opened the windows, fastening them back.  
Nuala breathed deeply of the fresh air as it flooded the room. "It's beautiful." she said softly.  
"I'm glad you like it." Abe said "Would you like to sit up more? I can get you another pillow.....?"  
"Yes please." she replied.  
In short order Abe got another pillow and helped her sit up, making sure she was comfortable, getting her another drink and sitting by the bed. They talked, read books and listened to music for hours..

Down the hall Nuada was also awake. He felt his sisters happiness and it both pleased and disturbed him. He was of course happy she was happy, but he didn't like the growing attachment she had for Abe. To him Abe was not good enough for his sister. She was a princess, Abe was.......nothing. Then again, Abe didn't really know his background. He could be royalty where ever it was he'd come from. The whole situation irritated him. He could only content himself with the knowledge that Abe wasn't likely to hurt her and was making her happy. It didn't make him feel much better but it was all he had at the moment.

While Abe and Nuala were enjoying some personal time and Nuada was grousing to himself about it, Liz was restless. She occupied herself redoing a guest room on the first floor and with keeping things in order as much as possible. With Abe keeping company with Nuala, HB off in the mountains of Romania somewhere and Johann off again to do more research, she was feeling rather alone. Even the company of the cats wasn't helping. She was rather indifferent toward the cats anyway. She didn't share HBs love of them. She liked them but she could take them or leave them.  
Going upstairs to her room she had to pass the guest room where Nuada was. She still wasn't comfortable having him in the house but at least he was contained in one room and unable to get up and move around for now. That made it easier to deal with.  
Still....for reasons she didn't quite understand she stopped by his door, wondering if he were awake.  
Slowly she put her hand on the door knob and turned it. Opening the door she peered inside.  
Nuada had been dozing lightly but alerted when he heard the hardware creak. Looking at the door he was surprised to see Liz' face in the doorway looking back at him.  
Seeing him awake Liz was a bit flustered. "Your highness....?" she managed to say.  
"Yes?" Nuada responded.  
"I......was just......passing by and thought I'd see if you needed anything.......?" she stammered.  
Nuada looked her over, assessing what he was seeing. This was the demons girlfriend. He remembered her albeit vaguely. She seemed uncomfortable with.......something but not really afraid of him. Interesting.  
"Not right now, thank you." he replied. She was being polite he could be polite.  
"Oh.....OK." Liz said sounding somewhat disappointed, although again she didn't know why. "Well....if you need anything let one of us know."  
He nodded slightly in acknowledgement.  
Closing the door again she went to her room wondering why she'd stopped and why she didn't stay longer. With Abe now absorbed in his romance with Nuala she was feeling very.....isolated. In her room she looked in the mirror and , as she did so often these days, ran a hand across her midsection. Her pregnancy wasn't showing yet but she was feeling the effects of it nonetheless.  
She still wasn't sure how she felt about being pregnant. Twins who were part demon and part human? Would they be more like him or more like her or some mix of both? How much help would he be in raising them? She didn't want to be stuck doing everything herself.....like she was now.  
With no answers to her questions she decided to take a nap and lay down on the bed.

As for Nuada he dozed off and on, concentrating on healing as quickly as possible. The sooner he was well the sooner he could get out of this place and away from these people. It wasn't the first time in his long life that he'd been laid low by injuries, just the latest. It had actually been quite some time since he'd been bedridden by injuries yet he still remembered how to cope. Rest, lots of healing meditation and periods of intense concentration on the problem, almost forcing it to heal.  
He also had a lot to think about. He'd failed in his quest to use the Golden Army to retake the world from humankind and freeing his people. He didn't like failure. He still wanted to do these things but without the army it would be more complicated....and bloody. He'd been trying to avoid that. The army would have given him a clear advantage in the war and reduced the need for his people to fight at all. It would also have been a solid match for the machines of war the humans had developed. It had been the perfect solution. Well....he wasn't ready to give up......yet.  
And what of his sister? What could he think about her? He loved her still but she'd also betrayed and killed him. Did she love mankind more than her own people? Did she really want to preserve that wretched truce their father had made? He couldn't make up his mind about that either.  
Also having no solution to his problems he too drifted off to sleep, trying to heal.

In Romania Hellboy and a small army of soldiers was heading into the mountains to seek out the vampire nest the girl had spoken of. It was of utmost importance to put an end to this or they'd have more people disappearing and more nests springing up across the country.  
To augment the small squad he'd started with the army had sent out another twenty soldiers and more equipment.  
While awaiting the reinforcements Hellboy made himself some more ammunition, tailoring it to the enemy he was going to be facing. He made hundreds of rounds for the Samaritan and another couple of sets for Big Baby as well as more garlic grenades. He's also ordered up boxes of wooden stakes, white oak treated with Holy Water. No sense taking chances with this. He had no idea how many vampires were in this nest but it sounded like there were a lot of them which was a scary proposition. Off and on he again wondered if he should have Liz come join him after all......her fire could wipe out almost any size vampire nest in one shot. Useful, to say the least. But he didn't want to put her...or the babies...at risk doing field work. No, he'd have to figure out how to deal with this by himself this time.  
The Romanian intelligence service had, at the request of the army, been doing satellite surveys of the area in the mountains where the girl had been found, looking for a building large enough and remote enough to be the nests location. They sent the maps to the army commander who sat down with his officers and Hellboy before they headed out.  
"They have identified three buildings that fit the description the girl gave us." the captain said. "All are within a few kilometers of each other. This...." he pointed out one spot " is the site of a medieval castle, now mostly destroyed, but parts of it are intact enough to house creatures of this kind. This place here is an abandoned manor house. It was built by a well known family in the 1400s and remained in the family until WWII when the Nazis seized it. It was used by a local Nazi commander until the end of the war when Russian advance forces, with the help of Partisans caused an explosion and ruined half the building. It was never rebuilt. This place here was a German POW camp, again in ruins now having been all but leveled by the Russian army. " the officer looked at the demon who seemed deep in thought and said "Which one do you think we should check first?"  
HB looked over the map and considered the problem. "I think we can count out the POW camp. " he said "Too spread out, not enough cover for them to hide during the day. I'm going for the castle first. It's older, probably has lots of underground catacombs for them to hide in, and enough room to house a whole lot of 'em.  
"Very well sir." the captain said.  
"How long is it gonna take us to get there?" HB asked.  
" The roads are old and not paved this far up so we will have to go slowly. It could be two hours or more."  
The demon grunted. He didn't want to wait any longer than necessary to deal with this but he also didn't want to try and attack a big nest of vampires when they were awake. "OK. Let's head out first thing in the morning. We want to get there and start looking around while they're still sleeping. Right?" he looked around the group of officers who nodded in agreement. "Make sure your men get wooden stakes to carry. Bullets won't kill these things, you know that. "  
Again the officers nodded. One of the things all Romanians knew about was vampires and vampire lore. Still, it was more than a little nerve wracking to be going up against them....especially a lot of them.

Going back to his quarters Hellboy lay down on the oversized bunk. Taking out his cell phone he woke it up and stared at it. He has a picture of Liz as his wallpaper. He studied it as he had so often since acquiring the device. God she was beautiful. She was everything. He missed her most at times like this., when he was waiting and had nothing else to do. He thought of calling her but a quick check of the time showed it was late & she was probably asleep by now. Too bad. He really wanted to hear the sound of her voice right about now. Oh well, Maybe he'd try and leave her a message in the morning before they left.  
With a sigh he put the phone aside and closed his eyes. Hopefully he'd be able to get to sleep soon. Tomorrow was undoubtedly going to be a busy day.

At the house evening finally fell.  
Like clockwork Abe made the rounds of his patients. Since he was already with Nuala he started with her.  
He was pleased to see how well her wounds were healing. "I'll be able to take off these bandages soon. Then you'll be able to start moving around again." he told her. "I must say I'm impressed."  
"We tend to heal more quickly than humans." Nuala replied. "But it helps when you have a good healer."  
"Ah" Abe said "But a healer can only do so much. It also helps to have a good patient."  
She smiled and gave him a nod.  
Going down the hall Abe went to Nuada's room. He was a bit surprised to find the princes wounds were almost as well healed as his sisters. "Your sister said that elves heal quickly but I wasn't expecting it would be THIS quickly. "  
" I have a few......tricks of my own that help." Nuada said, pleased at Abes astonishment.  
Abe carefully checked each wound, especially the nasty stomach wound and said "Whatever you've been doing is extraordinary. You must tell me how you did it."  
"You think you'd understand....?"Nuada asked  
" Perhaps not but I'd like to try." Abe said. "If you don't mind."  
"We'll see." Nuada said.  
"I didn't think you'd be ready for this yet but would you like something to eat?" Abe asked, changing the subject.  
Nuada thought he'd never ask. As he'd concentrated on healing his body began making it known that it hadn't been fed in quite some time. The gnawing in his stomach had been growing all day.  
"Yes....please." he said, hoping he didn't sound desperate.  
"Dr Krauss and I developed a nutritional drink that's easy to digest and has everything an elf body needs to sustain itself." Abe said rather proudly. "Your sister is quite fond of it."  
At that point the prince didn't much care. He was hungry. "Whatever it is will be fine." he said a bit impatiently. Abes attitude was beginning to wear on him.  
"I'll be right back." Abe said and left. He'd sensed Nuada's hunger and his impatience. Under the circumstances he couldn't blame him for being impatient.Hunger was a strong motivator.  
When he returned he had a large glass of his creation for Nuada and another for Nuala.  
"Here you are your highness." he said handing the glass to him. "Try not to drink it too fast.You might overload your stomach and make yourself sick."  
Nuada tuned out the fish man and looked over the glass. It seemed OK. Passing it under his nose once or twice he decided it was safe to try. He took a cautious sip, savored it for a moment or two before swallowing.  
Abe waited anxiously for a verdict. He didn't know why but it was important to him to get the princes approval.  
"Good." the prince said at last, giving the royal stamp of approval to the drink.  
"Oh good. I'm glad you like it." Abe said. "If you'll excuse me I must bring this to your sister."  
The prince nodded and Abe disappeared. He wanted to finish this drink quickly. It was better than he'd expected and felt good when it his his healed but still sore stomach.  
In spite of himself Nuada had to admit he was being treated well here. He hadn't expected that, especially given their previous contact but he still wasn't ready to trust just yet.  
Nuala on the other hand......she was perfectly safe. He knew that. Abraham was head over heels about her so she would be protected. Even now he could feel her happiness. Irk him though it might he wanted her to be happy.  
Looking at the half-empty glass he considered the effort these people were putting into caring for them. A 'nutritionally balanced' drink....for elves? How did they figure that out? Did it matter that much? He wondered.  
After feeding his charges Abe updated his records and went over things with Johann who was also impressed with the elves progress.  
"The prince said he had 'some tricks' to heal faster but he wouldn't explain what they were." Abe said.  
"Hmmmmm....." Johann said "I have heard of cases of accelerated healing before. Among certain mystics in India it is not uncommon for them to suffer terrible injuries and heal within days. I wonder if ze Prince has developed similar techniques. "  
"Or perhaps he already knew them." Abe posited "His people have been around for millennia, predating modern humans. This may be a technique of theirs that certain humans have been able to learn."  
" A good point." Krauss said. "By all means, keep recording their progress. Everything must be documented."

Upstairs Liz was again passing Nuada's door. She was surprised to see one of the cats sitting outside looking expectantly at it. She paused and looked at it. "What do you want in there?" she asked.  
In response the cat looked at her meowed and pawed at the door.  
"You want to go in?" she asked.  
The cat meowed again and scratched at the door.  
"OK but I'm not sure it's a good idea. This guy probably eats cats." she said. Going to the door she opened it and the cat slipped inside, trotting across the room it jumped on the bed.  
Obligingly the prince began to scratch its neck. Looking at Liz he said "I actually don't eat cats. There are better things to eat."  
Embarrassed Liz paused. She didn't think he'd heard her off the cuff remark. "I'm sorry."she said "I didn't mean it like that. I was just......making a bad joke.".  
The prince eyed her somewhat bemusedly. She seemed genuinely sorry and very chagrined. Should he be outraged, embarrass her more or just let it go? Maybe a mild rebuke?  
" Apology accepted." he said with a slight nod.  
The cat, now purring loudly, settled himself on the bed, perfectly content.  
This was surprising to Liz as this cat had always been antisocial. He ate with other cats in the house but largely ignored people, even Hellboy who typically got along well with animals.  
"He's never done that before." she said.  
"Cats are picky about their friends." Nuada replied. "They don't feel the need to explain themselves to anyone and they refuse to be controlled. by humans."  
"You really don't like humans do you?" she asked. It was moire statement than question.  
"I do not." he said.  
"Why?"  
"Humans are greedy, shallow,selfish, hollow creatures. " he said. "Caring only for what they want and ignoring everything else."  
While his voice remained calm the passion of his convictions still came through.  
Liz was a bit taken aback by that. " Not everyone is bad." she replied. "There are some good people out there."  
"Too few." Nuada said. "And their voices are drowned out by the greedy and powerful."  
"Some things are getting better." she said, trying to put things in a positive light.  
"Again too little." he said " And changes have been too slow. The damage has already been done."  
Liz understood that and could agree with a lot of it. It was hard to find a valid argument against what he was saying. " AT least some people are trying." she said "Can you at least give us credit for that?"  
"Us?" Nuada asked "You're not really one of them. " If they saw you as you are they'd reject you as they do all things not like themselves. That's why you live with a demon and a fish."  
"You forgot Johann." Liz pointed out drily.  
In spite of himself Nuada smiled a bit. "And the tin man." he added.  
Now it was Liz' turn to smile a little. "You know....." she ventured " We all felt pretty bad about what happened back there......at the city. We didn't really want you to die, we just needed you to stop."  
The prince didn't answer immediately, his smile fading. He wasn't sure if he could believe her or not. The fact that her fishy friend was obsessed with his sister made it questionable as to whether or not they were truly interested in his well being for his own sake and not for hers. It wouldn't be the first time in his life that he'd been spared for her sake. Still her words and tone came across as rather touching.  
But Liz continued. "We understand you want to fight for your people. There's nothing wrong with that but this wasn't the way to do it. That kind of mass slaughter doesn't prove anything it just makes you....no better than them."  
Nuada remained silent, petting the cat, not looking at her. He had to think about this.  
Then another voice chimed in "I'm afraid she's right your highness." It was Abe. "I'm sorry there was no time to talk to you about it but then you didn't give us any time and you didn't seem to want to talk about anything.".  
Nuada looked up at them again "Is that what you want me to believe?" he asked.  
"You can believe it or not." Liz said. "But it's true."  
"Humans only understand death and destruction. What other was is there to get their attention?"  
" I don't know." Liz said.  
"Humans are rather like spoiled children" Abe said "Everyone wants their own way and if they don't get it they squabble and fight. It's easy to be angry with them but also rather.......pointless. They can't help themselves and they don't understand even though they think they do.".  
"I will not have my people live in the sewers any longer." Nuada said.  
"We understand that." Liz said "And we want to help."  
Nuada looked up at them sharply. "Help? How can you help?"  
Liz looked at Abe and back "We don't know but we want to try."  
"I'm sure we can come up with a solution if you'd just try to work with us." Abe added. " I know nothing to do with humans is easy but would you at least give us a chance?"  
Nuada wasn't ready to agree or reject anything they said. Of course he was in no condition to even get out of bed yet much less make a decision about what he was going to do next. That and he was growing weary and wanted to get some rest. "I will think about what you've said." he responded, closing the conversation for the moment. "You may go ."  
It was a royal dismissal. Nothing either Abe or Liz could do for the moment but leave, although Liz was rather offended at being ordered around her own house. Mumbling good nights they left, leaving the door open a crack in case the cat wanted to leave.  
""Who does he think he is telling us to leave like that?" she grumbled as they went down the hall. "Well, he IS a prince." Abe pointed out. "And he IS still recovering from his injuries. That may just have been his way of saying he's tired and wants to rest." Liz had to admit that was a possibility although she wasn't happy about it. Then she began to think about the conversation."You think we got through to him?" Liz asked Abe as they went down the hall.  
"I'm not sure but I think it's a start. " Abe replied.. "Remember he's held these views for a very long time. He's not going to change his mind over night. We'll just have to keep at him until we get somewhere but remember we have to remain positive and don't make him angry. "  
Liz nodded and disappeared into her room again. She wasn't at all sure about this whole plan but she'd give it a try.

In Romania a caravan of trucks was making its slow way into the mountains. The roads were rutted and eroded making travel by motor vehicle difficult at best, impossible at worst. Once or twice a truck slipped into a deep hole and needed help to be extracted. Impatient to get on with things Hellboy lent his superior strength to the effort, lifting the trucks out of their ditches and getting them back on the road, actions that greatly impressed the soldiers.  
Two hours into the trip they caravan reached a crossroads where they paused.  
"Where does that road go?" HB asked.  
His liaison checked his map "That is the road that leads to the old POW camp. "  
The demon grunted. Something wanted him to go that way....just out of curiosity, but that wasn't where he was needed just then.  
"How soon before we reach the castle?" he asked next.  
"Another hour or two."  
"Then let's get going." HB said.  
Putting the truck in gear the driver turned down the left fork and headed onward to their goal.  
It was around noon time when they reached the remnants of a village below the hill that the old castle stood. Getting out of the truck Hellboy looked up at the thing with a certain amount of awe. Even in its decrepitude it was impressive. "Wow" he said to himself. It was easy to see why the Nazis had chosen it for a stronghold. It commanded a view of the surrounding countryside for miles. This also made it the perfect place for vampires to set up shop as well. In their winged form they could launch themselves off of the towers and soar across the land looking for victims, or scout out new places to spread to.  
Its size was also going to make it a bit tougher to clear out. He hoped he'd brought enough troops....and stakes.  
Looking at the soldiers he said "Set up camp. " he said "We might be here a while. ".

While the soldiers set up camp HB took it upon himself to check out the remnants of the village for whatever might be found.  
There wasn't much left. Between the Russian Army and the Nazis the place had been almost completely leveled. Pretty much all that was left were a few walls and foundations. Nature had taken over what was left. Trees sprouting in the middle of what had been houses and shops, vines covering walls, bushes pushing their way up through cobblestones and sidewalks. It all made for a surreal atmosphere.  
As he wandered around he began to get that familiar feeling that they were being watched. Looking around carefully he saw nothing unusual but that too was typical. Whatever was here.....or in the castle.....knew they were there....knew HE was there and that could make things more difficult. No matter. He was going to do what he'd come here to do.  
Going through the remains of what might have been a tavern, he heard something that didn't sound quite right. He turned to try and pinpoint its source. As he looked more closely a movement caught his eye. Looking he just spotted something disappear over the top of the deteriorating bar. In two strides he was there and leaned over the top. As he did something tried to scramble away but a lightening fast hand grabbed it before it could get away. "Gotcha!" he said and picked it up. The thing in his hand squirmed and hissed menacingly but the demon was unimpressed and wasn't letting go. "Don't even try it." he said. Holding it up he took a closer look at it. It was about 18 inches tall and looked fairly human. Rough dark hair grew from its face and hands, it had long fingers that were tipped with sharp pointed nails and equally sharp teeth. Its yellow eyes glared at the demon holding him.  
"Let me go!" it demanded in a rough accented voice."Let me go or the witch will get you!"  
Hellboy was still unimpressed. He'd dealt with all kinds of supernatural creatures over the years. So far this ones threat didn't merit serious concern. "The witch huh?" he asked. "What makes you think I'm scared of a witch?"  
The thing glared at him and gnashed its teeth but seemed to be rethinking its threat. "This witch you should be." it went on "She'll eat your innards and doom your soul...."  
" To Hell?" HB asked. "That's original. I think you need to get your eyes checked. I AM Hell."  
The creature gnashed its teeth some more but didn't reply this time.  
" Nothing to say?" HB asked. "OK good. Let's go back to base and see if we can get you to talk."  
Turning he started out of the building with his little captive who kept trying to get away. "Stop squirming!" he snapped at it. " You're just gonna make it worse for yourself. "  
"You don't know what you're dealing with!" it cried.  
" Nothin' I haven't dealt with before." Hellboy said matter of factly.

At the house things were settling into a new routine. Having the elves there required everyone to make adjustments. Abe was happy playing the role of doctor and it gave Liz something to focus her attention on besides whatever had been bothering her before.  
As the pair recovered Abe wanted to spend more time with Nuala but his other responsibilities were getting in the way. And he'd developed an aversion to dealing with the prince who had an unsettling habit of glaring at him the moment he entered the room. It made him feel like a mouse being stalked by a cat.  
The two had recovered enough to start eating regular food, or so Abe decided. So they began adding solid food to the nutritional drink.  
One morning as they were preparing breakfast for the pair Abe asked "Liz.....would you mind bringing breakfast up to the prince?"  
Liz looked at him a bit curiously. "Sure. Why?"  
"Well....I'd like to spend more time with Nuala." Abe said a bit uncertainly "And he makes me a bit.....nervous."  
"Well you ARE involved with his sister." she pointed out. " I can't imagine he'd like that very much. But yeah...I'll go feed him. There isn't much he can do to me where he is."  
"Oh thank you." Abe said. Picking up a tray he headed up for Nuala's room while Liz took Nuada's tray up to him.  
Upstairs Nuada was awake. He'd heard the sounds downstairs and figured Abe would be coming up with a drink for him and a list of inane questions and comments. He couldn't figure out what his sister saw in the fish man. Aside from being well read and intelligent, he didn't seem to have any real redeeming qualities to the prince.  
Hearing footsteps in the hall Nuada alerted, eyes turning toward the door, looking forward to unnerving Abe by glaring at him.That was always entertaining.  
The door opened and he was surprised to see it was Liz who came in with a tray of food.  
"Good morning." Liz said, paused for a second and added "Your Highness." She had to remember to say that....as Abe and Johann had suggested. She didn't like kowtowing to someone she still considered an enemy in her own house but they thought it would help things diplomatically so she agreed to do it.  
"Good morning." Nuada replied politely. He was pleased that these people recognized his status and addressed him accordingly. "Where is Abraham this morning?"  
"He.....asked me to bring you your breakfast this morning." she replied crossing the room to the bed.  
"Spending time with my sister no doubt." Nuada said.  
"Something like that." she said.  
"Very well." he said and pulled himself to more of a sitting position. "What have you brought me? " he asked noticing this was a tray and not just a glass she had.  
"Well Abe thinks you can start eating solid food now so I have some toast and a little jam. I have one of Abes drinks for you too." she said and set the tray on the bed then stepping back a bit.  
Nuada looked at the offering a bit nonplussed. This wasn't exactly what he'd expected or what he wanted.  
"The bread is whole wheat." Liz said, seeing his expression and wanted to try and placate him a bit. "Your sister said you eat a lot of the same things we do, so we thought this would be OK."  
Looking up at her Nuada's expression was less than pleased. "You expect me to eat this?" he asked.  
"Abe doesn't want you to have anything too hard to digest yet....because of your stomach. " Liz replied a bit defensively. "If there's something else you'd like......"  
"There is nothing humans eat that I want." he snapped.  
"Well I'm sorry but......"  
Nuada turned a glare on her " Sorry? Is that all you can say?"  
Getting angry Liz took up the tray and backed away a few feet. " Sorry but THIS is what we have. " she snapped back, returning his glare. "If you don't want it you can starve."  
Nuada was somewhat taken aback by her response. He stared at her a few moments as if reconsidering his original opinion of her. Clearly she meant what she said...she was holding the tray of food and was only a few steps from the door. But would she really walk out?  
" You would do that to my sister?" he asked, playing on the fact that what happened to him happened to her.  
" No, but I'd do it to you." she retorted firmly.  
Her reply impressed the prince. Obviously there was more to her than met the eye. He liked that. For a few moments he wasn't quite sure what to say. She had the food and he really was hungry but how to reply to this? He just looked at her instead.  
They stared at each other for a few seconds, neither making a move or saying a word. It was as if a contest of wills was going on, each wondering who would blink first.  
After a while, and no word from the prince, Liz turned and headed for the door.  
Seeing she really WAS leaving the prince spoke up "Just a moment..." he said hurriedly, trying not to sound alarmed. He really WAS hungry.  
Liz stopped and turned back to him.  
"This is really all you have....?" he asked  
"This is all you can have right now." she replied a bit sharply.  
"If that is what you have, " he began, backtracking carefully, "Then that will be fine." Better to have meager rations than none at all or so he decided .  
Suppressing a grin, Liz walked back across the room and put the tray on the bed again. Liz had won the point this time.

An hour or so later when Abe was about to make his daily check on the prince, he asked Liz "How was he?".  
"He was fine." she reported evenly.  
"He didn't give you any trouble?" Abe asked.  
" No." As far as she was concerned her encounter with the prince was a non-event.  
"Hmmm." Abe said . It was a bit of a curiosity to him that Liz had had no problems but he wasn't going to question it either. "That's good. Maybe he's getting used to living here."  
Liz thought that was not exactly what was happening but only said "Maybe".  
Going to the princes room Abe went in and found his charge still propped up in bed, now keeping company with the orange cat who was lying at his side purring. "Good morning your highness." he said, trying to be cheerful.  
As usual Nuada glared at Abe for a bit but instead of continuing to do so Nuada left off after a minute or two. "Good morning Abraham." he returned.  
Abe went to the bedside to begin his examination. After looking over the wounds he was pleased with his patients progress. "These are almost completely healed." he said. "I think I'll be able to remove the stitches in another day or two. How did you like your breakfast?"  
Mention of breakfast struck a negative note with the prince. "It was adequate." he replied.  
Abe sensed the displeasure in Nuada's voice. "I'm sorry it wasn't much but I don't want to over stress your system. with too much too soon. We're doing our best to accommodate you but I need you to be patient for the moment. As soon as I'm sure everything has healed enough we'll give you more. Is there anything in particular you like to eat?"  
"Whatever my sister gets will be fine." he said.  
"Ah. I'll remember that." Abe said.  
After looking over the flesh wounds Abe turned his attention to the princes left elbow which had been badly bruised when he slammed it into Kroenens midsection. Carefully he unwrapped the bandages that had kept it immobile and looked it over. "This concerns me." he began. "I'm still not sure if it's broken or if it's merely a bad bone bruise." He'd really wanted to put a cast on it but lacked the materials.  
Nuada watched him, barely moving his head.  
Once unbandaged Abe ran his hand over the joint trying to assess what was going on with it. "Does this hurt at all?" he asked, cupping the joint.  
"Some" Nuada replied.  
"How about movement? Does this hurt?" Abe asked, gently flexing the arm.  
Against his will Nuada winced. "Yes." he said.  
"All right. "Abe said "I'm not sure exactly what happened but I'm afraid this will take longer to heal. " he said as he re-bandaged it. "I'd really rather put it in a cast but this will have to do for now. You'll need to keep it as immobile as possible for the time being. Would you like anything for pain? I have some medications here if you need them....."  
'Human kind?" Nuada asked.  
"I'm afraid so, yes. If there's something else you'd like.....?"  
"Willow bark." Nuada said.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Willow bark." he repeated. "You make tea out of it."  
Abe thought for a second...."Ah yes, willow bark contains acetylsalicylic acid , the main ingredient in aspirin. Why didn't I remember that?"  
Nuada thought of a quick retort but said nothing.  
""Now where did I see a willow tree....." Abe mused.  
"I can see one from here." Nuada said, nodding toward the open window.  
Abe looked out. Sure enough there was a large willow tree about 500 yards from the house, around the corner from a stand of trees. He could just see part of it. "Ah yes. I see it now. I'll take care of that right away."

About 20 minutes later Liz found Abe stripping willow branches in the kitchen in preparation to make tea for his patients.  
"What are you doing?" she asked.  
"Oh the prince asked for willow bark tea to help with the pain in his arm. I'm making some for him."  
"Willow bark?"  
"Yes the bark of the tree contains the same ingredient as aspirin. Before the rise of modern medicine it was a common folk remedy. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Of COURSE an elf would want a natural remedy instead of a man made one."  
"Especially HIM" Liz quipped.

I didn't take long for Abe to make the tea and bring some up to the prince.  
"Here you are your highness." he said, entering the room. Willow bark tea. I also have some honey, if you would like. It's local unprocessed honey. "  
Nuada Looked this offering over with more satisfaction. "Thank you Abraham." he said. Picking up the cup he passed it under his nose once or twice then took a cautious sip.  
As always Abe waited for a verdict before saying anything more or leaving the room.  
"It's fine." Nuada said after a couple more sips and realizing Abe wasn't going away until he said something.  
"Ah. Good. "Abe responded. "If you want more just let one of us know."  
"I will. Thank you." the prince said with a nod.  
Abe opened the door to leave and the orange cat slipped in again, heading straight for the bed, jumping up to take his place at the princes side. Abe looked at the prince.  
"That's fine." Nuada said. "You may go."  
With a nod Abe left wondering who was really running things here now, them or Nuada.

At Rasputins castle Ilsa had returned from a trip. With her she brought something they very much wanted to further their work.  
She drove the box truck into the courtyard of the castle and stopped. Rasputin, Kroenen and Zinco came out to meet her.  
"What did you bring us?" Rasputin asked.  
"Something Herr Zinco wanted." she replied with a smile, going around to the back of the truck she opened the tailgate to reveal a tarp covered square object. They could hear something moving around inside. Standing to one side she flipped up the tarp to reveal two snarling black wolves.  
Zinco smiled in delight. "Where did you find them?" he asked.  
" A 'private' zoo in Poland. " Ilsa said. "The owner was only too glad to sell them with the right persuasion."  
Rasputin went up to the cage and reached in to pet the creatures who had stopped snarling at his approach. ""You've done very well." he said with a smile. "Will this help you with your experiments Zinco?".  
"Yes indeed." Zinco replied. "It will make everything much easier."  
"Very well." Rasputin said "Take them inside. There is much more work to be done."  
Ilsa nodded, shut the tailgate and drove the truck into the building.  
Next they went to the main hall where a few of the mechanical soldiers were standing rigidly at attention as if awaiting orders.  
"What are you doing with these?" Rasputin asked.  
"I am programming them to fight using Herr Kroenen's tactics and moves. " Zinco replied. I have armed them as he is and I am using advanced technology to program them to mimic what he does. Once they are fully programmed they will be virtually identical to him on the battle field. You will have an army of Kroenens at your disposal. Allow me to demonstrate....."  
Zinco took a couple of steps toward the mechanical soldiers and gave them a command.  
Two soldiers stepped forward, turned sharply to face each other and began to fight. They matched blow for blow for several minutes, moving the same way Rasputin had seen Kroenen do so often.  
After a few minutes Zinco ordered them to stop. They ceased their combat and stood at attention again. Zinco ordered them to return to their places, which they did, rejoining their fellows.  
"Excellent." Rasputin said.  
"When I am done programming them they will be capable of working individually or collectively, depending on how you want to use them."  
the scientist said.  
"Well done Herr Zinco." Rasputin said. "Will you have enough of them done in time?"  
"Of course Lord. I have streamlined the process to make creating them much faster. Your army will be ready in time."  
Rasputin nodded, satisfied by the report. "Continue your work." he told the man, turned on is heel and went back inside.

In Romania Hellboy was contending with his disagreeable captive, now in a small cage with an iron collar around its neck and a chain attached to the bars to make extra sure it wasn't going anywhere.  
The creature still gnashed its teeth and snarled trying its hardest to look fearsome but the demon was having none of that.  
The soldiers were more cautious and ,while curious about the thing, did little more than peer in the windows of the building it and HB were occupying.  
"Flee while you can demon." it snarled threateningly "When they see what you've done to me you'll wish you had listened!"  
Hellboy lit a cigar casually without looking at it. "Yeah yeah. Save your breath. I ain't scared." he said.  
"You'll regret your words!" it retorted.  
Losing a bit of patience with it HB turned to it and said "Look....why don't you make it easier on yourself and tell me what's going on in the castle? "  
"There's nothing going on to concern you demon." it said.  
"Wrong answer. Try again." HB responded. "I know SOMETHING is going on there, I wanna know what it is."  
"I've nothing to say to you." it said.  
"I think you do."  
"Never."  
"Look we can do this the easy way or the hard way, up to you." Hellboy said. " But I KNOW there's something going on and that whoever it is has captives. Now you better start talking or things are gonna get ugly."  
The thing seemed a bit surprised. "Who told you there were captives?" it asked.  
"A little birdy." HB said "Now you wanna tell me more?"  
The thing thought some more. "No." it said.  
HB reached out and yanked on its chain, pulling it to the top of the cage and holding it there. "I told you things were gonna get ugly. Now I can do this all day if you want or you can start talking and I'll stop."  
The thing was jammed against the top of the cage, choking and flailing about trying to free itself. After several seconds it came to a decision "OK" it gasped. "Let me down."  
Red released his hold on the chain and the thing fell to the floor of the cage again. "That's better." he said "Now.....what's going on in the castle?"  
The creature picked itself up, rubbing its neck resentfully. "Vile spawn from hell." it grumbled "Embarrassment to your daddy's memory.Working with humans against your own kind."  
Hellboy gave the chain a little tug. "You wanna play some more or not?"  
The creature held up a hand. "Enough." it said "What is it ye want to know?"  
"That's better." Hellboy said. "Who's in the castle?"

Later at the house another phone conversation was taking place..  
"It's gonna take even longer than I thought babe." HB said. He was using a military satellite phone to call. There was no time to run back to the village and based on what his informant had told him this was going to be a big job.  
"But you said the other day......" Liz objected.  
"I know but this is way bigger than anyone thought. The captain just called for more troops to help out. Could be weeks before it's wrapped up."Liz' heart sank. She'd been hoping he'd come home soon to help with things there.  
When she didn't answer HB knew she was disappointed. "Hey look at it this way.....the longer it takes the more money we get. That can't be a bad thing, right?"  
Privately Liz had to admit the prospect of more money would relieve a lot of their concerns but not all of them.  
Getting a bit concerned with her silence HB asked "You ok? You need anything?"  
'I need you to come home.' she thought but didn't say. "No." she said, opting to cover things up for now so as not to worry him. "I'm OK. Go do what you've got to do. Just .....be careful.".  
" I will. Bye."

Liz hung up the phone, disappointed. No 'I love you's or 'I miss you's , no words of encouragement or support. None of the things she needed to hear. Just 'Hi, I'm not coming home yet...bye.'.  
Going to the window she looked out over the garden. What was she doing here? Why did she agree to stay here? Was this really what she wanted? This was insane. And being pregnant on top of all that.....was this the life she'd been searching for? She wondered.  
After a couple of minutes she thought maybe she could talk to Abe. He was always good to talk to and help soothe her unsettled mind.  
Going upstairs she was going to go to his room but heard his voice down the hall in Nuala's room. They were reading poetry again. They did a lot of that. It was nice that Abe had someone to devote himself to but that wasn't helping Liz at the moment.  
Then she thought of the prince....he probably wasn't very happy right now either. He didn't seem the type to enjoy enforced inactivity. In passing she thought that maybe she could talk to HIM. After all what was that old saying? Misery loves company? Maybe they could complain to each other. Nah. He'd probably be a bigger pill than she was.  
The decision was taken out of her hands by the orange cat who trotted up to Nuada's door and looked at her expectantly.  
"You want in again?" she asked the cat.  
The cat meowed & scratched at the door.  
"Well at least there's someone in the house you like." she said and went to let it in.  
Opening the door she said "I'm sorry but your friend wants to visit." as the cat trotted in and jumped on the bed.  
Nuada looked at her then at the cat and nodded, gently scratching the cats neck.  
"Why does he like you and no one else?" she asked, opening the door wider and standing in it.  
""He can talk to me." Nuada said. "He says he can't talk to the rest of you. You don't listen."  
"He talks to you? You know what he's thinking?"  
Nuada gave her a slight bemused smile. " I'm an elf. " he said "All of nature speaks to me."  
'Duh' Liz thought, realizing that was kind of a stupid question. "But....Red can usually talk to the cats but not this one. No one knows why."  
" He says he has nothing to say to your friend so he keeps silent." Nuada said.  
"Well...at least he's talking to someone now." she said. She was about to leave but had a thought. "While I'm here....can I get you anything? A drink or something?"  
"One of Abrahams drinks would be nice." he admitted. With his stomach healed his body was desperate to catch up with the rest of the healing it needed to do. That required food & nutrients.  
Liz nodded "Sure. " she said "I'll be back in a minute. ".  
In no time Liz returned with a drink for him, putting it on the nightstand and backing away quickly. She still didn't feel comfortable getting too close to him.  
Nuada found this amusing but said nothing.  
As she was leaving he said "Just a moment."  
She paused and turned toward him, curious.  
"He says to be careful going through your bureau. " he told her looking at the cat then back at her. "He says there's a mouse in there he hasn't been able to catch yet."  
Liz thought a moment or two then said "Oh, OK. Thanks for the warning."  
The prince nodded. He figured that now the next thing she would do would be to go to the bureau and look. That would be the typically human thing to do. He communicated this to the cat who agreed.  
Sure enough minutes later they heard a startled shriek from down the hall followed by an anxious call from Abe.  
Nuada smiled a bit and shook his head.

In Liz' room she and Abe were looking at an open drawer.  
"It was a MOUSE!" she said.  
"A mouse?" Abe asked. "Are you sure?"  
"Yes! He TOLD me there was a mouse in there. I don't know why I was so surprised." she said.  
"Who told you?" Abe asked. He was trying to figure out what had upset her.  
"The cat."  
Abe looked at her as if she'd taken a giant leap away from her senses." The CAT told you?"  
" No! The cat told HIM. HE told ME."  
"Told who?"  
"The prince, Nuada."  
"Liz....I'm afraid I don't understand..." Abe said helplessly.  
Seeing he was totally lost she related the sequence of events of how the cat wanted to visit Nuada and how Nuada had relayed the message from the cat.  
"Well....that makes more sense." Abe said at the end of the tale.  
"It does?" she asked.  
"Yes. As you know elves have a close connection with the natural world so it's not surprising that he can talk to animals. I imagine all elves can. I'll have to ask Nuala.......".  
"That's nice but it doesn't help ME much." she said.  
"With what?" Abe asked.  
"ABE! THERE'S A MOUSE IN MY UNDERWEAR DRAWER!" she exclaimed growing impatient with his cluelessness.  
"Oh." Abe responded rather taken aback by her response. "Well I suppose that could be a problem.....".  
Liz glared at him in amazement. "COULD be a problem?" she demanded. "Are you out of your MIND? OF COURSE IT'S A PROBLEM! FIRST I have to try and get RID of it and then I have to wash ALL my clothes AGAIN!"  
"All of them?" Abe asked. Since he didn't wear clothes as such he really didn't understand the implications that were upsetting her.  
"YES! I found it in THIS drawer but I can't be sure it wasn't in the other drawers as well, so now I have to wash EVERYTHING!!"  
"Oh....I see......I think......" Abe said helplessly.  
"Abe get out of here."she said, pushing him out the door, fed up with his obtuseness and wanting to get started on the task of washing ALL her clothes.....again....and cleaning out the drawers.  
Down the hall Nuada heard all this and laughed quietly to himself. Humans were so predictable. It would be more amusing if they weren't also so pathetic.

In Romania the mission to clear out the vampires in the castle was on hold. The army commander refused to do anything more until reinforcements arrived.  
"We have our orders." the captain said.  
Hellboy ground his teeth at that Sounded way too much like someone ELSE he knew....who was back in Ireland with Liz and Abe at the moment. " How long will it take them to get here?" he asked.  
"At least three days."  
"THREE DAYS???!!!???" the demon exclaimed. "Those things have prisoners in there! We've got to get 'em out NOW!"  
The demons rage frightened the officer and pretty much everyone around him but the captain refused to back down nonetheless."Based on the information your informant gave you there are too many for us to cope with on our own." he said "We need more men, more supplies and weapons., We cannot attack them right now."  
"We keep sitting here they'll KNOW we're here and what we want. We gotta move fast."  
"I understand but we cannot risk it."  
Hellboy fumed and fussed but there was no budging the officer. The subject was closed....they would have to wait.  
This frustrated Hellboy no end. He was close to the enemy....he wanted badly to go on the attack before more people could be hurt but he knew too he'd need back-up on this and without it there was no chance of success. Instead he stomped around irritably, chomping on cigars and grumbling to himself. He checked his weapons and accessories repeatedly.  
He also stalked the forest around the town and the base of the castle. He did this partly to scout the ground they'd be covering, partly to get away from the camp and partly to see if he could learn anything else about what was going on inside the place. He figured the vampires already knew they were there. A military convoy would be pretty hard to miss coming up to the abandoned village. And he himself was a big red warning sign to any evil creatures in the area. Over the years he'd gained a reputation among the supernatural creatures of the world. They knew that when he showed up, bad things would follow.  
The creatures made their presence known the second night when a flock of large bats flew over the camp. They didn't attack but they swooped low enough for HB to see they weren't hunting flies.  
"They're scouts." HB told the sergeant. "Checkin' us out. There goes our element of surprise."  
The sergeant shifted uncomfortably and looked to the sky. "Will they be back?" he asked.  
"Maybe. " HB said.  
"What should we do?"  
"Tell the cook to start using a lot of garlic." the demon said. "If things smell bad enough they might keep their distance."  
With that he turned and went back to his quarters.

At the house Abe had decided his wards could start eating real food instead of just protein drinks and toast. It was a welcome change for both elves.  
Nuada was no more a fan of human food as he was of anything else human. He'd eaten it, he could survive on it but he didn't prefer it.  
Still, under current circumstances, he was glad to get even this.  
Liz brought a tray up to him and put it on the bed. "Here you go." she said with a bit of a smile "Real food.".  
The prince looked at it a bit curiously "What have we here?" he asked.  
"Boneless skinless chicken, green beans, a whole wheat roll and a protein drink." she said. She'd spent better part of an hour putting this together, she hoped she'd gotten it right.  
Looking over the plate again the prince had to admit to himself it looked good. Looking back at Liz he said " I take it you made this yourself?".  
"Well yeah." she said "Abe isn't much good at cooking.".  
Nuada smiled a bit. She had a sense of humor. That might make staying here a bit less tedious.  
Noticing he hadn't touched anything yet she said " Well, you'd better start eating before it gets cold.".  
In another time he might have been offended but this time he wasn't. " Yes Mother." he quipped. His tone was light enough but there was a hint of menace in it too.  
Liz smiled a bit wider. Maybe he wasn't entirely evil after all but, like him, she wasn't quite ready to trust yet.  
Taking up the knife and fork Nuada sliced off a piece of chicken and began to eat.  
Seeing that he was eating Liz started for the door. As she reached it a voice behind her said "Will there be dessert?"  
She turned and looked at him. "Depends." she replied.  
"On what?" he asked.  
"Whether or not you clean your plate." she said and left.  
Watching the door close behind her Nuada chuckled to himself. She was a bit of a curiosity to him. She was stronger than he'd expected, but she also seemed to be unaware of that strength. He wasn't sure what to make of that. Not yet anyway.  
He continued eating. In spite of his doubts he found his dinner to be quite good. The chicken was perfectly cooked as were the vegetables and he was becoming rather fond of Abe's protein drink. In spite of his initial misgivings this wasn't as bad a situation as he'd expected it to be.  
Downstairs Liz was fussing in the kitchen. She'd told Nuada he could have dessert so she decided she'd better have something ready for him. She didn't have a lot of advanced cooking skills but she'd been learning. Since she was 10 she'd been living in institutions or at BPRD where all the meals were cooked in the cafeteria. Since moving here she'd been working on learning how to do these things for herself and the others. It hadn't been an easy process but modern cooking methods often took much of the guesswork out of it. Premade mixes requiring the addition of only one or two ingredients make it very simple to whip up something in next to no time. Taking out some of the fresh berries they'd gotten from the farmer, she added some honey, blended things a bit, added more berries and poured it all over a piece of shortcake from the store, topping it with a bit of whipped cream. The resulting creation looked very appetizing...at least to her.  
As she was fussing with this Abe appeared and asked "What are you making?"  
A bit startled she looked up and said "Oh.....I told the prince he could have some dessert. I'm just trying to make something he might like."  
Looking over he creation Abe said "It looks very good. Could you make another one.....for Nuala? I'm sure she'd like some too. "  
A little surprised at his approval Liz said "Sure. Give me a couple of minutes. I want to run this upstairs."  
"Of course." he said and watched as she picked up the plate and headed for the stairs. He hadn't expected Liz to want to be so accommodating to the prince, considering what had happened before and he reaction to having him here initially. Maybe this was a good thing.  
Upstairs Liz was about to go into Nuada's room but stopped. Suddenly she didn't want to appear too eager to please him. Instead she put the plate on a side table and went back to the door. Softly she knocked. Inside she heard a voice say 'Yes?' and she opened it.  
Going in she went to pick up his tray. She was a little surprised to see the plate was clean and the glass empty. "Wow." She said "You really did clean your plate." .  
Nuada looked at her bemusedly. "I took it as a challenge." he said simply.  
Liz had to suppress a smile. " You did a good job.".  
"Do I get a prize?" he asked.  
Liz picked up the plate on his tray and said "Let's see...." she left the room and in a moment came back with the plate she'd left outside. She put it on his tray and said "How's this?".  
Looking over the new offering he seemed impressed. "That looks very good." he said.  
"Just a little something I put together.". she said trying to sound casual about it.  
"Thank you." he said.  
Liz nodded a bit. "I....have to go make something for your sister now. " she said by way of excusing herself.  
"Give her my regards." he returned, and started in on this treat.  
Liz nodded and went out again, feeling rather satisfied with herself.

In Romania Hellboy was restless. He couldn't sleep so he prowled the camp somewhat irritably. The visit from the bats bothered him. He had the feeling something was up...something was going to happen soon. He didn't want to be sleeping when it did.  
Even the soldiers on watch seemed to sense a change in the atmosphere. The ones on watch were nervous, and not just about the demon stalking the camp. The soldiers not on watch huddled together in small groups, talking in hushed voices, looking around and keeping weapons close at hand.  
In the middle of the night, Hellboy was again crossing the camp, working his way through a cigar when there was a loud noise from the other side of the camp, followed by an unearthly scream.  
Throwing the cigar aside the demon ran across the camp toward the source of the noise. At the edge of the camp he found a gun on the ground and a bloody trail leading off toward the woods. "Damn!" he said to himself, drew the Samaritan and began to follow the trail. Behind him he could hear the soldiers in camp stirring, awakened by the disturbance.  
The trail wasn't that hard to follow, especially since he could see in the dark better than humans could. The torn brush and blood made it even easier. Unrelenting he charged after whatever it was. Nobody messed with people he was working with if he could help it.  
He'd gone a couple hundred yards when he found the soldiers helmet on the ground. He paused to look this over then tossed it aside and was back on the hunt. The deeper into the woods he went the more pieces of the soldiers uniform he found. While he seemed to be gaining on whatever it was that had taken him, he wasn't getting close enough to suit him. But he did note one thing; they were heading in the direction of the castle. That realization didn't surprise him. He wondered in passing if this was the vampires way of drawing him away from the relative safety of the camp and into a trap. That thought didn't slow him down but it did make him more wary.  
After a minute or so he thought he could see something ahead. He put on a burst of speed to try and catch up.  
Getting closer he could see the soldier being dragged by a big dark something. He aimed the Samaritan and fired off a couple of rounds.  
There was a loud unearthly scream and the shadow dispersed, rising into the air and darting away toward the castle.  
Hellboy stopped to watch it go, making sure it was really gone, then went to the soldier. Kneeling beside him HB checked for a pulse. "C'mon kid hang in there." he muttered. He thought he felt something and sighed in relief. Looking over the soldier he could see there was blood on his shirt and pants and an ugly slash mark across one shoulder.  
Behind him HB could hear more soldiers coming up the path, calling to each other and flashlights waving. He turned and looked back down the path and called "Up here!", not really knowing if any of them understood what he'd said.  
In minutes the soldiers arrived and swarmed around the area.  
"He's hurt but he's alive." HB told the sergeant, standing up to let the other soldiers take care of their fellow.  
"What was it? Did you see what took him?" the sergeant asked.  
"Not really." HB replied. "I got off a couple of shots at it but it flew back to the castle." He watched as the soldiers rigged a makeshift stretcher to carry their man back down to camp. "I hope those reinforcements get here soon." he added "This ain't the last time those things will be visiting us.".  
Casting a last look at the castle he turned and followed the soldiers back down to camp.

Inside the castle a pale figure was seated casually on an ornate throne when a greenish hairless minion approached him "Did you get me a new victim?".  
"No master."the creature replied.  
"And why not? There are plenty to choose from in the camp. Surely you could have gotten ONE for me."  
"We tried Master. We got one but the demon stopped us. " the creature cringed fearful of a violent response.  
"He did , did he?" the pale vampire responded.  
"He chased us, he uses magic bullets. We had no choice but to retreat.".  
The master rose from his throne and went over to the thing which was now grovelling at his approach. " I see. Well. I guess that means YOU will have to be my new victim." he said. "You know the penalty for failure."  
"No! Master! Please!" the thing cried as the vampire reached down , seized it in one hand, picked it up and sank sharp fangs into its throat, ripping a huge chunk of flesh out. Blood poured out of the open wound and the thing gurgled helplessly as it bled to death.  
As it bled the vampire lord took an empty pitcher and held it under the wound, catching as much blood as possible. At his feet small creatures swarmed to lap up the spilled blood from the floor.  
As life left the creature the master said " It's nothing personal. I'm sure you understand.".  
The thing dead, the master casually tossed the body aside where it was set upon by hungry wolves. Turning he raised the pitcher to his lips and took a drink. "Nothing like fresh blood." he said.

Back at the country house Johann, who had taken some time away to do research, partly on Rasputin, returned and was updated on the elves progress, decided to visit with the twins and see for himself how things were going. As always he wanted to document everything for future reference.  
He had a pleasant visit with Nuala who was as gracious and sweet as ever. With Abe practically hovering over her she answered Johann's questions as best she could, describing what had happened from the time she realized she'd returned to life to the time she awoke in the house.  
"I'm sorry I can't tell you much about whose voices I heard. I never saw what they looked like. My brother will be able to tell you more about that." she said.  
"That's quite all right." Johann said kindly. "Any information you can provide is helpful.". He thanked her for her time and left, Abe following.  
"What do you think?" Abe asked.  
"Her information seems to corroborate what you learned from the princes' lance." Krauss said. "After I've talked to the Prince we will know for sure."  
"Then what?" Abe asked.  
"I'm not sure." Johann said. "That will require some consideration and perhaps more research. But first things first. Now I must speak with the Prince."  
"I'd be cautious dr Krauss." Abe advised. "His highness is still rather......testy.... about being here."  
"Hmmm....I thought Liz said she was having no problems with him....?"  
"Well...perhaps she's having an easier time dealing with him than I am. " Abe said. "He always seems irritable when I go in there."  
Johann thought about this for a moment. "Perhaps he does not approve of your interest in his sister." he suggested.  
"Maybe." Abe said uncertainly.  
"No matter I must speak with him but I appreciate your concern.". With that Krauss went down the hall to Nuada's room. 

In his room Nuada was aware of something going on. He could sense what his sister was doing and who was with her. He heard voices in the hall. He recognized Abe's and decided that the other voice was the person who'd been talking with Nuala. He gathered that whoever it was would be coming to visit him before long. Now....what kind of reception to give them......?  
Presently there was a knock on the door.  
Krauss heard a soft 'Yes?" from inside and slowly opened the door."Your highness?" he queried politely.  
Nuada looked and reached back into his memory to recall who this was. "Tin man" he said after a moment or two.  
Johann entered the room, bowed politely and said "Krauss, Johann Krauss if you please your highness."  
Nuada didn't care what this creature called itself. "What can I do for you?" he asked.  
"I'm trying to piece together the events that brought you here. " Johann said "I was just talking to your sister and I was hoping you could provide some more details."  
"Why do you want to know?" Nuada asked. He wasn't going to make this easy for them.  
" Well....you returned from the dead." Johann began "That in and of itself is a remarkable event. I would like to know more about what happened and how you came to be so badly hurt."  
"Is this a ......personal curiosity of yours or is there another purpose behind it?"  
"I am a psychic researcher with a special interest in the paranormal. " Krauss said. " My interest in what happened is purely professional I assure you. May I ask you a few questions?"  
Nuada looked over his visitor as if making up his mind. He didn't like being questioned any more than he liked Abes poking and prodding but thought little harm could come of it. "Very well. " he answered. "You may ask your questions.".

The interview took a couple of hours. Nuada took Krauss through what he cold remember of returning to life and his encounter with Rasputin, although he'd never learned the Russians name, or those of his companions. Some parts of it were still fuzzy to him even now.  
He said little about what happened after their escape from Bethmoora and Krauss didn't seem as interested in it as he was in what happened before.  
When he'd finished, Krauss thanked the prince and bowed deeply before leaving. The prince nodded in response and went back to ignoring the creature.  
Going down the hallway Johann ran into Liz who was bringing dinner up to Nuada.  
"Did you find out anything?" she asked.  
" Some. His memory is not as clear as I would have hoped. " he replied " But I did find out enough to corroborate what Abe discovered in his analysis of the princes lance."  
Liz made a face, that was not good news. " So you're sure it's Rasputin who brought him back?"  
"Yes. "  
"So....what do we do?"  
"Right now I'm not sure." Johann said. " I will have to do more research and then I will have a better idea of what needs to be done." With that he went off down the hall.  
Liz didn't like that answer either. She knew pretty well what Rasputin was going to want and what his intentions were. Still....maybe he didn't know they were here. That might throw him off for a bit and buy them some time.  
Going on her way Liz went to Nuada's room and went in.  
The prince was sitting up in bed and looked like he was deep in thought.  
"I've got your dinner." she said, hoping he wasn't angry about Johann's questioning.  
Nuada looked up briefly and nodded. He was thinking hard about what had happened, and some of the things Johann told him.  
Liz crossed the room, put the tray on the bed and stepped back.  
Nuada didn't seem to be particularly interested in the food. He picked up a fork and picked at the offering distractedly.  
"Are you OK?" Liz asked, suddenly finding herself a bit concerned. She hoped that whatever Johann had been saying didn't upset him too much.  
"Fine." he muttered.  
" Do you need anything?" she asked.  
The concern in her voice managed to reach through his dark mood and touched his heart a little. Looking up an almost kind expression crossed his face. "No thank you." he replied quietly.  
At something of a loss as to what to do next Liz said "I hope Johann didn't upset you.. I know he didn't mean to. He's just very.....curious."  
"That isn't it." he said.  
"Then...what is it?" she asked. The look he gave her made her feel like she's overstepped her bounds. She backtracked a bit "I don't mean to pry but you looked like you were upset about something.".  
"Is that a concern?"  
Again his response caught her off guard. "Well....yeah." she said. "We're trying to help you get better and make you comfortable. If you're not happy with something I want to try and fix it."  
Nuada looked at her as if trying to make up his mind about what she was saying. Deciding she was being sincere he said " It's nothing you need to be concerned about. It's something I need to work out for myself. I appreciate your concern."  
Liz nodded and said "Well if you need anything, let one of us know."  
"I will, thank you." he said.  
A bit of a smile flashed across her face and she turned to leave.  
She was almost at the door when he said "The tin man told me something I'm curious about."  
She turned to look at him questioningly.  
"He told me you gave blood to save my life. Is that true?"  
A bit uncomfortable Liz said "Yeah I did. "  
"Why?" Nuada asked.  
"You were going to die without it." she said " My blood was the closest match to yours. Like I said, we were trying to help.".  
The prince looked at her curiously. He thought of bringing up his sister but decided that wasn't necessary. Maybe these people were what they said they were. " Thank you." he said simply, for once not really sure what else to say.  
"You're welcome." she responded and left.

He was still thinking things over when Abe arrived to check on him.  
Nuala had warned Abe of he brothers uncertain mood so he approached cautiously.  
"Good evening your highness." he began, trying to be positive.  
Nuada glared at him in response but said nothing.  
Abe began his exam as he always did, checking each problem area in turn ending with the possibly broken elbow.  
And as always Nuada eyed him the entire time. He enjoyed unnerving the fish man whenever possible. However this night was different. He had something else on his mind.  
As he always did Abe unwound the bandage on the princes elbow to look at it. When he removed the last turn and went to put it aside Nuada seized him by the throat with a lightening fast move and held him fast.  
"Why did you put human blood in my body?!?" he growled angrily.  
Abe, startled, tried to loosen the gripping hand enough to speak. After making some desperate croaking sounds he felt the hand loosen a bit and he was able to squeak out some words "I didn't.....I can explain....."  
"Then the tin man was lying to me.....?"  
"No...." Abe gasped "It's not like that....."  
"Then what?"  
"If you let me go I can explain...."  
Nuala, picking up on Abe's' situation reached out to her sibling and urged him to let the hapless fishman go.  
Nuada glared angrily at Abe for a minute or two longer while the other squirmed, but eventually loosened his grip and let him go.  
Abe stepped back out of easy reach, hand going to his throat trying to see if everything was OK.  
The prince was still glaring at him angrily. " Very well....explain."  
Catching his breath Abe tried to get over his fright and said " It's true that Liz donated blood and we used that to save you but it isn't exactly what you think." he went on to explain the process they used to treat the blood and filter it to be more compatible with the elves own system and get them through the initial part of their health crisis. "The blood cells would only survive a short time but long enough to keep your body going and help it recover itself. " he said "It acted more like a ....bridge....to keep your body going long enough for your own system to replace the blood that had been lost. I very much doubt there are any human blood cells still alive in your body. I could check if you like.....?"  
"That won't be necessary." the prince said, calming a bit. "Why didn't you say anything about this before?"  
"I didn't think you'd understand." Abe said "And I rather thought you'd........hurt me if I did."  
In spite of himself Nuada smiled and even laughed a bit at his own reaction and how well Sapien predicted it. " Well put Abraham. " he said.. "And I presume you did this because you wanted to help....?"  
"Well...yes, we did. "Abe said "We still do. If I may say so I wish you weren't so suspicious of us and our motives. I know were were opponents before but that was then. Now it's different."  
"Opponents...." Nuada queried "Not 'enemies'...?"  
" I think 'enemies' is too strong a term." Abe replied. "We wanted to stop you but we didn't hate you or your cause."  
" I think your friend might not agree."  
" My friend...you mean Red?" Abe asked " By the end even he understood. "  
Nuada wasn't sure but wasn't going to argue the point.  
"If you don't mind you highness, may I finish my examination?"  
The prince nodded and settled himself for another few minutes of poking and prodding.

At the castle Ilsa entered Rasputins private chamber with a washbowl towel and razor.  
The mystic, who had been deep in meditation, returned to consciousness and turned toward her. Seeing what she'd brought he rose with a smile and went to a chair across the room and sat down.  
Without a word Ilsa went over to him, put down her things and began to work.  
"Have you spoken to Zinco today?" Rasputin asked.  
" Yes." she replied as she applied shaving cream to his head. " He is making progress with the new army. "  
"And the other projects?"  
"He is having some difficulty with the creatures he's trying to create but some of the results are promising so far." she reported  
"Where is he? "  
"On his way up." she said "I told him you wanted to hear his report in person."  
" Well done." Rasputin said, satisfied that his paramour knew his mind and what to do, as usual.  
She was carefully shaving his head when Zinco arrived.  
"You have news?" Rasputin asked.  
"Yes Lord." Zinco replied. "Work on the army continues. We are having some difficulty obtaining enough bodies to transform but I am assured that this is only a temporary problem. I have reached out to others who might help us with this and I hope this will be resolved soon."  
"Make sure of it." Rasputin said " The army must be ready in time for the childs arrival. What else?"  
"We are having some difficulty with the dog/man creatures. " Zinco said " There is a problem with the mutation that causes the creatures to die within days, sometimes hours. I'm working on a solution as quickly as I can."  
"Very well. What else?"  
"The prehistoric creature is also a bit tricky but there is progress on that project as well. " Zinco reported "It has been much easier to manipulate the genetic structure of this creature to make the kind of monsters we require. I have already made some smaller versions of the creature and I've found it quite easy to make larger ones as well. Perhaps when you have a few moments you can come down to the lab and see for yourself. "  
"Perhaps later." Rasputin said. "There are other things that require my attention."  
"The child?" Zinco asked.  
"The child is in Romania. That I know."  
"Will he return in time?" Ilsa asked  
"Even if he returns there will be the problem of luring him here." Zinco pointed out.  
"There is only one thing that will draw him here." Rasputin said.  
"The girl" Ilsa supplied.  
"Yes. She is here. But she is not alone." the mystic said. "Her friends are with her. And the elf prince."  
"The prince? He survived? How?"  
"That isn't important. " Rasputin said " But his presence there creates a problem that must be dealt with. "  
"Why not send Kroenen?" Ilsa suggested. "He defeated him once, he can finish the job now."  
"Not yet." Rasputin said. "Our preparations are incomplete. It is too early to bring her here, and he will have to be dealt with separately. We must take our plans in another direction. "  
"What do you want us to do?" Ilsa asked.  
"For now? Nothing. Keep working on your projects. I will let you know when we will take our next step. "  
Zinco nodded and left while Ilsa kept shaving the Russians head.  
"Ilsa.......I think I will have a very special task for you. It will require complete obedience. Are you willing to do that for me?"  
"Anything Grigory." she said. " I am yours to command."  
The Russian smiled a bit. " Very well. I will let you know what I have planned when the time comes. "  
With a smile he closed his eyes and relaxed as she continued to shave his head.

At the house Nuada was becoming increasingly fed up with being bedridden. In the absence of his fishy custodian he'd been doing some exercising-stretching muscles and tendons, flexing joints to assess their soundness ans state of healing. Kroenen had delivered some strategic injuries designed to handicap the prince and leave him helpless until he bled to death but Hitlers assassin underestimated the prince. Nuada had lived thousands of years and survived all kinds of injuries. This too was survivable and he would return to health and fitness again.  
With his friend the cat at his side Nuada spent time working on getting himself back into shape, as much as he was able. His elbow was going to be problematic for a while longer but that too would heal in time. He was concentrating on making that time as short as possible.  
This day he was sitting up, contemplating standing for the first time in a long time.  
Throwing off his blankets he swung his legs over the side of the bed and putting his feet on the floor. ' OK, not bad' he thought. Feet and legs were OK with being on the floor at a 90 degree angle. A bit stiff but that was all. Then he considered how the rest of his body felt. Everything seemed a bit stiff or weak from inactivity but that would be easily cured as well. Nothing serious enough to stop him yet.  
Taking a deep breath he pushed himself off the bed to a full stand, then reassessed himself. He felt unsteady but even so it was good to be on his feet again. Injuries,blood loss and enforced inactivity had taken more of a toll on him than he'd expected but nothing really hurt much except his elbow. It was clear he wasn't going to be doing any training for a while yet. Still he was pleased with his progress so far.  
Pushing himself farther he went to take a step. Still unsteady he grabbed a bedpost for support, then, when he felt ready, he took another step. Then a third. Weakened muscles began to complain but Nuada willed himself to keep going. Using bedposts and rails to steady himself, he slowly made his way around the end of the bed and back.  
By the time he sat back down again he was exhausted but satisfied. Looking at the cat he said "Not bad eh?", reaching out to give his friend a scratch behind the ears. "And we'll not say anything to Abraham about this will we?"  
The cat purred and bumped his hand. 

As they recovered, Abe decided to lighten up on his charges and only check them once a day. This only really applied to the prince since he spent so much time with Nuala as it was. He would bring her books, play music for her, talk, anything she wanted. He was helping her out of bed and to a chair near the window which, as Nuada's window did, looked out over the garden. He was sharing the things he loved with her and she was excited to discover all these things. Living with her father she'd been rather sheltered from the human world. Now she was anxious to catch up with what she'd missed.  
This put Liz in the position of looking after the prince full time. She was already bringing him meals but now she was also checking his unhealed wounds and changing dressings as needed. His less serious wounds had already healed but his stomach wound hadn't entirely done so yet. He was able to eat food but the muscles closer to the surface were still recovering.  
Unlike Abe Liz didn't have much interest in books and music and really had little in common with the prince. Still, their constant contact had caused them to develop something of a rapport which made things easier all around. She appreciated having someone to talk to, even if it was only for a little while each day.  
Nuada found Liz to be a bit of a contradiction . She had a great deal of strength but she also was riddled with insecurities about.......what? In humans he generally found insecurities to be repellent but in her it was more of a curiosity. On the one hand she had no problem telling him off to his face.....no accounting for his royal status......but in other things she seemed unsure of herself. She'd been gifted with an elemental power yet she seemed to be unaware of what an honor it was to have that power. Indeed she didn't seem to want it at all but instead longed to join the ranks of 'normal' humans. Strange.  
She wasn't obsequious or retiring like Abe, which he found a refreshing change. There was only so much of that he could tolerate. Part of court life he never did like.  
Whenever he was alone long enough he would exercise. He forced himself out of bed and made himself walk as often and as much as his body allowed him to. Sometimes his body rebelled, muscles stiffened or tendons spasmed to the point he could do nothing but he kept at it.  
So it was something of a shock when Abe decided his charges could start to become mobile again that Nuada simply threw off the covers, got out of bed and walked around the room, slowly and a bit unsteadily but mostly unaided. The prince was amused at Abe's surprise and consternation laughing as he got back into bed.  
"Well....that's very good your highness." Abe managed to say. Going to check on his patient he added "I see one of your tendons is still being troublesome. I applaud your willingness to exercise but if I may say so I'd recommend you not push yourself to do too much too soon. You might do more damage to yourself in the process."  
"Abraham " Nuada began firmly " Do you think this is the first time I've ever been injured?"  
"Well....no....but I......"  
"You're right. It isn't. I know very well how to take care of myself and what I need to recover." Nuada said.  
"Of course your highness I was just......"  
"You may go now Abraham. Nuada said."   
Abe wanted to say something more but he recognized this as a royal dismissal. To linger would be pointless. and possibly hazardous. No matter what else he was Nuada was still a prince and accustomed to having his word obeyed."Very well your highness." Abe said rather lamely, turning to go.  
Nuada laughed to himself as the door closed. He was planning a few more surprises for them before he was through.

Going down the hall Abe went to Nuala's room. Unlike her brother, she needed a lot of help getting up and getting used to walking again. Some of her brothers activity had rubbed off on her but not enough to make her fit again.   
"Your brother is doing very well already." Abe said as he helped her across the room. " His powers of recovery are amazing."  
"We heal faster than humans do." she replied "But my brother is very strong willed. I think he's been practicing on his own. I think being bedridden has been wearing on him. "  
"I wish he'd mentioned something to me about it." Abe said "I might have started working with him sooner."  
"He's also not one to tell people what he's doing." she replied.  
"Ah, secretive."  
"More like royal prerogative." she said " He is a prince, who has the right to order him around?"  
"I understand but I'm just concerned that in his eagerness to become active he'll hurt himself further and delay his recovery more, if not disable himself."   
"I wouldn't worry about that too much." she said "I think it'd be best to let him go his own way. He's going to do it anyway."  
"Reminds me of Red." Abe said, thinking of how the demon, also strong willed, also stubborn, pretty much insisted on doing things his own way. That was something he knew how to deal with.  
Having walked her around the room a couple of times Abe had her sit down in the chair by the window while he got her a drink.


	3. Recovery & Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having recovered enough to become mobile, Nuada begins to put some of the pieces of his experience together and tries to decide what his next move will be. Still intent on getting away from the house he finds that won't be as easy as he imagined as circumstances force him to face the developing threat from Rasputin.  
> Hellboy gets into trouble in Romania and his decisions create more problems at home.

Regaining some mobility, Nuada found being bedridden increasingly tedious. He began to take his meals at a small table by the window overlooking the garden. This required him to get up and move around more. Liz found a black velvet bathrobe for him to wear while out of bed.  
Standing up he tried it on, a little surprised to find it a perfect fit. Tying the belt he looked it over, appreciating the soft fabric and the gold trim. Definitely suitable for royalty, he decided.  
" I found it in a closet." Liz told him. "I thought you could use it. I hope it's OK....?"  
"It's fine, thank you." he said, sounding a bit surprised at her gesture.  
"Well, if you're going to be up you ought to have something to wear." she said  
"What happened to my clothes?" he asked.  
"They're here. We just thought this would be easier to get in and out of for now. " she said. "It's not like you're going outside right away."  
Nuada thought about that and decided that she was right. He was out of bed but still not strong enough to do much more than wander around his room for now. He'd be working on that the same way he'd worked on regaining his mobility.

To help ease his restlessness, and her boredom, Liz began bringing board games to his room to play. Chess was the game of choice so far. Liz was mostly a casual player but he. as she was finding, was very good at it. Not surprising somehow; it had always been a game for kings and commanders.  
Here Liz was studying the board closely. She had the feeling she was in a bad position and was on the brink of losing yet another game to the much more adept prince if she made the wrong move. But, from what she could see, there didn't seem to be any 'right' moves either.   
Nuada was also studying the board. He had the advantage & knew it. Just about any move she made would finish the game in two more moves. He did see a way out for her though....if she wanted it.   
"Would you like help?" he asked, seeing her continued frustration at her predicament.   
She hesitated. She wasn't sure he'd honestly help her or not. She also didn't want to admit she needed it.  
"You're in a bad position." he pointed out.   
" I know that." she said a tad sharply. " I'm just trying to figure a way out." she paused a few seconds then added "Is there a way out?"  
"Yes." he said.  
"Am I looking at it and just not seeing it?" she asked.  
"Probably." he allowed. "Would you like a hint?"  
Liz hesitated again. She didn't want to ask for help but didn't want to lose this easily either. "OK" she said with a sigh. "Gimme a hint."  
"Look to the right side of the board." he said "The piece you want to move is in the first 16 spaces from the corner. Four rows up, four across.".   
She looked and tried to divine what piece he was talking about. There were 7 pieces in that block. "Is it a pawn?" she asked. Four of the pieces were pawns.  
"No." he said with a slight shake of his head.  
OK that narrowed it down a bit but she still couldn't decide. Finally, frustrated and wanting to do something she picked up a piece and moved it.   
"Very good." Nuada said approvingly. Whether she actually knew what she was doing or not...and Nuada guessed she was just playing a hunch...she'd made the right move. That made the game a bit more challenging.   
Sitting back Liz was rather pleased with herself.. She'd guessed right and now she could sit back and watch HIM figure out what to do.  
And he did. He didn't doubt he'd win but her move meant it would take a few more moves to do it. He moved a piece and captured a pawn.   
Liz moved a piece and captured one of his knights.  
"VERY good." he said. He'd known his knight was vulnerable but didn't think she'd see it. Now HE was in a bad spot and needed to think about his next move.  
Liz smiled a little. It was satisfying to have him in a corner for a change.   
The prince was weighing his options and decided on a bold stroke. He picked up a piece and moved it.  
Liz was surprised. "Can you do that with that piece?" she asked.  
"Yes." he replied, hint of a smile on his face.  
A scowl appeared on hers. She hadn't expected that. Then she spied an equally bold move of her own and went for it. "Check" she said, sitting back with a satisfied expression.  
"Excellent." Nuada responded. Her courage impressed him. "But not quite good enough." he added, moving another piece. "Checkmate.".  
Liz looked at the board open mouthed. She never saw THAT one coming. Then she looked at him.  
Nuada nearly laughed at her expression. "You play well." he said.   
Frustrated at losing again she didn't smile.  
"You mustn't be too frustrated." he said "I've been playing this game for hundreds of years."   
" I guess I'll never win then." she said rather defeatedly.  
"Of course you will. " he said "You merely need more practice." Waving a hand at the board he added "Again?"  
Looking at the board a moment or two more she shrugged and said "Why not? I'm not doing anything else right now."  
The prince nodded and they set up the board for another game.


End file.
